Researchers at UC San Francisco studying epigenetics say that a diet rich in essential nutrients but low in added sugar, lowers your biological age at the cellular level. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2821611
Epigenetics and Aging
Epigenetics is the study of how your environment can change how your genes work. Epigenetic changes turn genes “on” and “off” affecting your health in a variety of ways. Your epigenetics change as you age, both as part of normal development and also via exposure to environmental factors.
This research attempts to answer the question ” Are dietary patterns, including essential nutrients and added sugar intake associated with epigenetic aging?” The research article was published in JAMA Network with the title: Essential Nutrients, Added Sugar Intake, and Epigenetic Age in Midlife Black and White Women. e2422749 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.22749
This study had 342 female participants with a mean age of 39 years from Northern California. They assessed the association of added sugar dietary intake with epigenetic age. They used two dietary models which have been advocated for better health- the Alternate Mediterranean Diet and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index. These dietary patterns are documented to play a preventive role in the onset and progression of chronic disease. This study’s findings suggest that both optimizing nutrient intake and reducing added sugar intake lowers your biological and specifically, your epigenetic age. The researchers compared the participants’ diets with epigenetic clock measures, which were derived from saliva samples collected from the study subjects. They then examined cardiometabolic health and related factors.25,26
It has long been documented that beneficial nutritive elements play an essential critical role in DNA replication, maintenance, and repair, and they also serve as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. Beneficial dietary patterns should support gene stability and preserve good health. The study subjects completed diet and epigenetic assessment questionnaires which were statistically analyzed to uncover whether there were influences of different diet patterns on their epigenetic health.
The diets were assessed with previously established scoring systems – the Alternate Mediterranean Diet, and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index [AHEI].
With the publication of this work, they proposed using another scoring system they called the Epigenetic Nutrient Index [ENI].
This study evaluated the effect of added sugar intake in the study subjects’ diets. They looked at how three different measures of healthy eating affect an “epigenetic clock”. Even among people who ate healthy diets, every gram of added sugar they ate was associated with an increase in their epigenetic age. Author of the the study Dorothy Chiu, PhD, of the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health said, “The diets we examined align with existing recommendations for preventing disease and promoting health, and they highlight the potency of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients in particular. From a lifestyle medicine standpoint, it is empowering to see how heeding these recommendations may promote a younger cellular age relative to chronological age.” Women in the study consumed an average of 61.5 grams of added sugar per day. A bar of milk chocolate contains approximately 25 grams of added sugar. A 12-ounce can of cola has nearly 40 grams of sugar. The Food and Drug Administration says that adults should consume no more than 50 grams of added sugar daily.
The study is one of the first to show a link between added sugar and epigenetic aging. This study is yet another confirmation of the hypothesis that sugar is harmful to health, but it also provides a deeper understanding as to why that is the case- affecting epigenetic outcomes. A co-author of the study, Elissa Epel, PhD, explains, “We knew that high levels of added sugars are linked to worsened metabolic health and early disease, possibly more than any other dietary factor. Now we know that accelerated epigenetic aging is underlying this relationship, and this is likely one of many ways that excessive sugar intake limits healthy longevity.”
They scored the women’s diets against a measure they created called the “Epigenetic Nutrient Index (ENI),” which is based on nutrients that have anti-oxidative and/ or anti-inflammatory processes as well as DNA maintenance and repair capabilities. These include Vitamins C, B12, A and E, folate, selenium, and magnesium, as well as dietary fiber and isoflavones.
Adherence to healthy dietary patterns were significantly associated with lower epigenetic age. The Mediterranean diet was shown to have the most beneficial effect. Examining sugar intake separately, this research documented that eating foods with added sugar is associated with accelerated biological aging, even for those who ate an otherwise healthy diet. Barbara Laraia, PhD, RD, a co author of the study says, “Given that epigenetic patterns appear to be reversible, it may be that eliminating 10 grams of added sugar per day is akin to turning back the biological clock by 2.4 months, if sustained over time. Focusing on foods that are high in key nutrients and low in added sugars may be a new way to help motivate people to eat well for longevity.”
Conclusions: In this study, independent associations were observed for both a healthy diet and added sugar intake with epigenetic age. These findings demonstrate associations between added sugar intake and epigenetic aging. Promoting diets aligned with chronic disease prevention recommendations and replete with antioxidant or anti-inflammatory and pro-epigenetic properties, and emphasizing low added sugar consumption supports slower cellular aging relative to chronological age.
Epigenetic clocks powerfully predict biological age independent of chronological age. These clocks reflect altered gene and protein expression patterns.1–3 These alterations can result in pathogenic processes such gene instability, systemic inflammation, and oxidative stress which are characteristic of aging and chronic disease.1,4,5
Epigenetic changes are modifiable and efforts to counter epigenetic alteration in humans have focused on lifestyle factors such as diet, and inspired the concept of an “epigenetic diet” 8,9 So far, 2 epidemiological studies have found inverse associations between higher diet quality and slower epigenetic aging.7,10 In those studies, diet measures were reflective of healthy dietary patterns emphasizing consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes.8,11 This dietary pattern is likely effective in preventing and reversing the epigenetic changes and pathogenic processes associated with aging, disease, and decline.4,8,12–14
This study ads to our knowledge base confirming that nutrient deficiencies or excesses can cause genomic damage just as physical or chemical exposures do.16
Sugar is an established pro-inflammatory and oxidative agent that is implicated in the causation of cancers and cardiometabolic diseases.19–21 The central hypothesis was that indicators of a healthier diet may be associated with slowing epigenetic aging, and added sugar intake with accelerated aging. Given the high consumption of sugar globally 22–24 knowledge of this association could motivate health care professionals to incorporate this knowledge into their clinical recommendations.
As suspected by the researchers, their measures of healthy dietary patterns and high intakes of nutrients were associated with younger epigenetic age, while a higher intake of added sugar was associated with older epigenetic age. Additionally, this study examined other indicators of healthy and less healthy diets, so as to allow evaluation of each in the presence of the other. From these findings, even in healthy dietary contexts, added sugar still has detrimental associations with epigenetic age. The number of published studies relating to nutrition and epigenetic outcomes is still relatively small. But the results of the present study are consistent with the two other important published studies7,10 . Analyses of epigenetic aging and added sugar intake are new, but these findings are consistent with the larger body of epidemiological work that has drawn connections between added sugar intake and cardiometabolic disease.19,20
Nutrient-based inventories can provide an important contribution to genomic health studies. As medicine progresses into the new era of personalized medicine and nutrition, the role of social factors including diet will be important to consider in epigenetic studies and inform clinicians as to best practices.
Conclusion
The findings of this study are among the first to find associations between indicators of healthy diet as well as added sugar intake and epigenetic aging markers. Higher diet quality and higher consumption of antioxidants or anti-inflammatory nutrients were associated with younger epigenetic age, whereas higher consumption of added sugar was associated with older epigenetic age. Promotion of healthy diets aligned with chronic disease prevention and decreased added sugar consumption may support slower cellular aging relative to chronological age. Further longitudinal studies, observations and their analyses are needed to advance this area of medicine and the evolution of its practice in medicine.
