Dietary patterns linked to favorable blood biomarkers relevant to aging
Researchers have long known that diet plays an important role in health later in life, but the biological mechanisms underlying these associations are not yet fully understood. In this study, researchers examined how different dietary patterns were associated with a broad range of blood biomarkers reflecting metabolism, inflammation, vascular health and neurodegenerative processes related to…
In a study involving 1,769 individuals aged 60 or older, researchers found that healthy dietary patterns were linked to several favorable blood biomarkers associated with aging. The study, published in BMC Medicine, examined three specific dietary patterns: a Mediterranean-style diet, an overall dietary quality index, and an inflammatory potential measure. Participants answered questions about their dietary habits over the previous year, and researchers analyzed 54 blood biomarkers.
Greater adherence to these dietary patterns was associated with higher levels of folate and lower levels of growth differentiation factor 15, consistent across all three patterns. Additionally, diets with lower inflammatory potential showed more significant associations with biomarkers related to inflammation, metabolism, and neurodegenerative processes. The researchers suggest that these findings support the idea that diet can be a modifiable factor contributing to healthy aging.
However, the study has limitations, as it only examined associations at a single point in time and included primarily older adults from the Stockholm area with relatively high education levels. Therefore, the generalizability of the findings to other populations remains unclear. The researchers emphasize the need for further longitudinal and intervention studies to determine whether changes in diet lead to changes in the studied biological markers.
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