Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of JAMA Network Open, 7(7), e2422749. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.22749 Dr. Dorothy T. Chiu et al.
Points
- Higher adherence to the Alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED) and Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010) was significantly associated with a younger epigenetic age, indicating slower biological aging.
- Higher added sugar intake was linked to an older epigenetic age, suggesting excessive sugar consumption may accelerate biological aging.
- The study analyzed dietary patterns and epigenetic aging in 342 Black and White midlife women from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS) cohort.
- A novel Epigenetic Nutrient Index (ENI) was developed and found to be associated with a younger epigenetic age, further supporting the role of nutrient-rich diets in promoting healthy aging.
- The findings highlight the importance of a nutrient-rich diet low in added sugars for potentially slowing biological aging in women at midlife, suggesting dietary modification as a possible intervention to reduce aging and disease risk.
Summary
In a cross-sectional study analyzing the dietary patterns of 342 Black and White women in midlife, researchers investigated the correlation between nutrient intake, dietary quality scores, and epigenetic aging. This study, utilizing data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS) cohort from 1987-1997, focused on women recruited from 2015 to 2019 at NGHS’s California site who had completed diet assessments and epigenetic evaluations between 2021 and 2023. Dietary assessments included the Alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED) and Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)–2010 scores, which reflect adherence to Mediterranean and chronic disease prevention dietary guidelines, respectively, as well as a novel Epigenetic Nutrient Index (ENI) and added sugar intake, quantified from 3-day food records.
The study’s primary outcome was the association of these dietary metrics with GrimAge2, a sophisticated marker of epigenetic age derived from salivary DNA. Results showed that higher scores on aMED (β, −0.41; 95% CI, −0.69 to −0.13), AHEI-2010 (β, −0.05; 95% CI, −0.08 to −0.01), and ENI (β, −0.17; 95% CI, −0.29 to −0.06) were significantly associated with younger epigenetic age, indicating healthier dietary patterns are linked with slower aging. Conversely, higher added sugar intake was associated with older epigenetic age (β, 0.02; 95% CI, 0.01-0.04), suggesting that excessive sugar consumption may accelerate biological aging processes.
These findings underscore the complex relationship between diet and epigenetic age, highlighting the potential of dietary modification in influencing aging and disease risk. The study reinforces the benefits of a diet rich in essential nutrients and low in added sugars, particularly for women in midlife, to slow the biological aging process. Further longitudinal research is needed to confirm these associations and explore the mechanisms underlying dietary impacts on epigenetic modifications.
Link to the article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2821611
References
Chiu, D. T., Hamlat, E. J., Zhang, J., Epel, E. S., & Laraia, B. A. (2024). Essential Nutrients, Added Sugar Intake, and Epigenetic Age in Midlife Black and White Women: NIMHD Social Epigenomics Program. JAMA Network Open, 7(7), e2422749. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.22749
