Lower diet quality accelerates DNA methylation-based age

Area of Science:

• Epigenetics and Aging Research
• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Longitudinal Health Studies

Background:

• Dunedin Pace of Aging Calculated from the Epigenome (DunedinPACE) is a DNA methylation biomarker linked to healthy lifespan.
• Limited research exists on diet quality's impact on DunedinPACE among diverse populations, specifically African American and White adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the longitudinal relationship between diet quality and DunedinPACE in a cohort of African American and White adults.
• To determine if dietary patterns influence epigenetic aging over a five-year period.

Main Methods:

• Utilized longitudinal data from 421 adults (aged 30-64) balanced by race, sex, and poverty status.
• Assessed diet quality using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI) at two time points.
• Employed linear mixed-effects models to analyze the association between DII, HEI, and DunedinPACE, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• A higher DII score (indicating a more pro-inflammatory diet) was significantly associated with a higher DunedinPACE score (faster aging).
• A higher HEI score (indicating better diet quality) was significantly associated with a lower DunedinPACE score (slower aging).
• These associations remained consistent over the five-year study period, with initial cohort data showing a pro-inflammatory dietary pattern and low diet quality.

Conclusions:

• Lower dietary quality is independently associated with a faster pace of epigenetic aging (DunedinPACE).
• Diet quality plays a significant role in epigenetic mechanisms related to healthy aging.
• Findings highlight the importance of diet in modulating biological aging processes across diverse populations.