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Biological aging across regular meat, low meat, pescatarian and vegetarian dietary patterns: A population-based
Chuan-Rui Zeng1, Yang-Wei Cai2, Mao-Xiong Wu1
1Department of Cardiology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Background & Aims:
Diet is a modifiable lifestyle factor that plays a crucial role in health and longevity, yet evidence regarding its association with biological aging remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between habitual dietary patterns and biological aging in a large population-based cohort.
Methods:
407,376 participants at baseline and 8855 participants at the first follow-up were included in this study. Participants were classified as regular meat-eaters, low meat-eaters, fish-eaters, or vegetarians. Biological age (BA) acceleration, which reflects the rate of biological aging, was estimated using two distinct methods, Klemera-Doubal method (KDM-BA) and Phenotypic Age (PhenoAge). Generalized linear models were used to examine the associations between dietary patterns and BA acceleration. Subgroup analyses stratified by genetic susceptibility and baseline characteristics, together with multiple sensitivity analyses, were performed.
Results:
At baseline, low meat-eaters, fish-eaters, and vegetarians exhibited significantly lower BA acceleration compared with regular meat-eaters. In the fully adjusted model, fish-eaters showed the largest reduction in KDM-BA acceleration (β = -2.47; 95 % CI: -2.71 to -2.23), followed by vegetarians (β = -2.34; 95 % CI: -2.61 to -2.07) and low meat-eaters (β = -0.61; 95 % CI: -0.68 to -0.54). Similar associations were observed for PhenoAge acceleration. These associations were consistent across multiple subgroup analyses. Longitudinally, participants adhering to low-meat, pescatarian or vegetarian diets experienced a significantly slower rate of increase in BA acceleration than consistent regular meat-eaters during the follow-up.
Conclusions:
Plant-based (with or without fish) and low-meat dietary patterns are associated with slower biological aging compared with regular-meat diet. Adherence to dietary patterns characterized by reduced meat and moderate fish consumption may represent a feasible strategy to promote healthy aging and mitigate the burden of aging-related diseases.
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