A July 2024 study by the University of California San Francisco looking at healthy eating using an epigenetic clock, a biochemical test approximating health and lifespan, 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.”
“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.”
The researchers created a measure called the Epigenetic Nutrient Index (ENI) based on nutrients (not foods) that have been linked to anti-oxidative or anti-inflammatory processes and DNA maintenance and repair. These include Vitamins A, C, B12 and E, folate, selenium, magnesium, dietary fiber and isoflavones.’
“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.”