Tag: biological age

Categories : Ageing Diet and NutritionTags : Leave a comment

Healthy Eating Associated with Slower Biological Aging – But No One Diet is Best

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Gustavo Fring

A study by DZNE finds that healthy eating is associated with slower biological aging – and that there is more than one way to eat healthily. The researchers examined ten dietary patterns considered healthy, including the Mediterranean, Nordic, and a plant-based diet, as well as the DASH diet, which is designed to help lower blood pressure. All were linked with slower biological aging, with age-related changes in the DNA serving as markers. These results, based on data from DZNE’s Rhineland Study and confirmed with data from an independent study, are published in the journal Nature Communications. 

“Our study suggests that healthy eating goes hand in hand with slower biological aging. The effects are not massive, but they are measurable and relevant for prevention. By slowing the aging process, the risk of age-related diseases such as dementia or cardiovascular disorders can be reduced. Thus, healthy eating contributes to healthy aging,” says Prof. Monique Breteler, Director of Population Health Sciences at DZNE and head of the Rhineland Study. “Importantly, there is probably no single ‘correct’ diet. According to our data, various dietary patterns are associated with slower aging, some more, some less. That is an encouraging finding, because it leaves room to tailor healthy eating to personal and cultural preferences, budget and taste.” 

Molecular Aging Measures 

For their analysis, the researchers evaluated blood samples and dietary habits from about 7500 women and men: This included 6470 participants of DZNE’s Rhineland Study in Bonn – where the findings were initially made – and 1034 participants of the EPIC-Potsdam Study of the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE), where the key results were independently confirmed.  

From blood, the team determined chemical modifications in the DNA, known as “DNA methylation patterns”, which influence gene activity and thus biological mechanisms. Since these molecular markers change systematically over the course of life, they are considered indicators of biological aging. 

“We applied three different approaches, so-called epigenetic clocks, to read biological aging from DNA methylation,” explains Juliana Tavares, a doctoral researcher at DZNE and lead author of the current publication. “To this end, we leveraged state-of-the-art technology, which allowed us to cover about 850 000 sites in the DNA. This is roughly twice as many as in most previous studies.” 

Healthy Eating: Different for Everyone 

The researchers also matched every participant’s eating habits against the recommendations of each of the ten diets studied. Adherence was quantified and graded using a scoring system based on how closely individuals followed each dietary pattern. “One and the same person could therefore rank high on one diet score and low on another. In other words: People who ate healthily by one standard were often not the same people who ate healthily by another. According to our data, hardly anyone counts as a healthy eater by every standard at once,” says Tavares. 

However, across the board, higher diet quality was associated with slower biological aging. This applied to all of the ten diets examined. “While there are measurably differences between the diets, they are modest in absolute terms. It’s the big picture what matters,” says Tavares. “In summary: When it comes to slowing down the aging process, there isn’t just one healthy diet, but indeed a whole repertoire of possible diets with a positive effect.”  

One result was particularly noteworthy: the association between diet quality and slower biological aging was most pronounced in smokers, even though smokers were by no means eating healthier than non-smokers. The biological explanation is still open. “Smoking is very harmful to health,” says Tavares, “One explanation for our findings might be that there is just more health benefit to gain for smokers by eating healthy because of the enormous detrimental effects of smoking.” 

Shared Biological Pathways 

Although each dietary pattern was associated with its own distinct set of DNA methylation sites, the biological mechanisms involved showed substantial overlap. “More than 70 percent of the affected biological pathways were shared across all diets. These involve cell structure, cell signalling and metabolism – processes central to aging and chronic disease. Therefore, it is understandable that the dietary patterns we examined were all linked with a slowing of biological aging,” says Tavares. “A few pathways were diet-specific, and they matched each diet’s main objectives: heart-related pathways were unique to the DASH diet, and pathways related to cognition and memory were unique to the so-called MIND diet, which aims to support brain health. You don’t need a perfect diet – that may be the most practical message here. But moving forward, the diet-specific pathways point to future research on targeted dietary interventions. This could be helpful in designing targeted health recommendations.” 

Source: DZNE

Categories : Ageing VaccinesTags : 1 Comment

Shingles Vaccine Linked to Slower Biological Aging in Older Adults

On By ModernMedia
Photo by SHVETS production

Shingles vaccination not only protects against the disease but may also contribute to slower biological aging in older adults, according to a new USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology study.

Using data from the nationally representative US Health and Retirement Study, researchers examined how shingles vaccination affected several aspects of biological aging in more than 3800 study participants who were age 70 and older in 2016. Even when controlling for other sociodemographic and health variables, those who received the shingles vaccine showed slower overall biological aging on average in comparison to unvaccinated individuals.

Shingles, also called herpes zoster, is a painful, blistering skin rash caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, or varicella zoster. Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk for shingles; while shingles can occur at younger ages, risk is higher for those 50 and older and immunocompromised individuals. Vaccination, which has generally only been provided to older people, offers protection from shingles as well as a lower chance of postherpetic neuralgia, or long-term pain after a shingles infection.

While vaccines are designed to protect against acute infection, recent research has  highlighted a possible connection between adult vaccines, including those for shingles and influenza, and lower risks of dementia and other neurodegenerative disorders, said Research Associate Professor of Gerontology Jung Ki Kim, the study’s first author.

“This study adds to emerging evidence that vaccines could play a role in promoting healthy aging by modulating biological systems beyond infection prevention,” she said.

Measuring the body, not the calendar

Unlike chronological aging, biological aging refers to how the body is changing over time, including how well organs and systems are working. Two people who are both 65 years old may look very different inside: one may have the biological profile of someone younger, while another may show signs of aging earlier.

In the new study, Kim and coauthor Eileen Crimmins, USC University Professor and AARP Professor of Gerontology, measured seven aspects of biological aging:

  • inflammation
  • innate immunity
  • adaptive immunity
  • cardiovascular haemodynamics
  • neurodegeneration
  • epigenetic aging (changes in how genes are turned “off” or “on”)
  • transcriptomic aging (changes in how genes are transcribed into RNA used to create proteins)

The team also used the measures collectively to record a composite biological aging score.

Surprising results beyond shingles prevention

On average, vaccinated individuals had significantly lower inflammation measurements, slower epigenetic and transcriptomic aging, and lower composite biological aging scores. The results provide more insight into the possible mechanisms underlying how immune system health interacts with the aging process.

Chronic, low-level inflammation is a well-known contributor to many age-related conditions, including heart disease, frailty, and cognitive decline. This phenomenon is known as “inflammaging,” Kim said.

“By helping to reduce this background inflammation — possibly by preventing reactivation of the virus that causes shingles, the vaccine may play a role in supporting healthier aging,” she said. “While the exact biological mechanisms remain to be understood, the potential for vaccination to reduce inflammation makes it a promising addition to broader strategies aimed at promoting resilience and slowing age-related decline.”

These potential benefits could also be persistent. When analysing how the time since vaccination affected results, Kim and Crimmins found that participants who received their vaccine four or more years prior to providing their blood sample still exhibited slower epigenetic, transcriptomic and overall biological aging on average versus unvaccinated participants.

“These findings indicate that shingles vaccination influences key domains linked to the aging process,” Crimmins said. “While further research is needed to replicate and extend these findings, especially using longitudinal and experimental designs, our study adds to a growing body of work suggesting that vaccines may play a role in healthy aging strategies beyond solely preventing acute illness.”

By Beth Newcomb

Source: USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

Categories : Ageing NeurologyTags :

Brain Ages at Different Paces According to Social and Physical Environments

On By ModernMedia

An international study employing advanced measurements of brain ageing on a wide range of participants found that people from more disadvantaged countries and backgrounds had older biological ages for their brains compared to chronological ages. The results are published in Nature Medicine.

The pace at which the brain ages can vary significantly among individuals.  This difference between biological and chronological ages may be affected by environmental factors like pollution and social factors like income or health inequalities, especially in older people and those with dementia. Until now, it was unclear how these combined factors could either accelerate or delay brain ageing across diverse geographical populations. 

The study used advanced brain clocks based on deep learning of brain networks, involved a diverse dataset of 5306 participants from 15 countries. By analysing data from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), the researchers quantified brain age gaps in healthy individuals and those with neurodegenerative conditions such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease, and frontotemporal lobe degeneration (FTLD). 

Participants with a diagnosis of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, exhibited the most critical brain age gaps. The research also highlighted sex differences in brain ageing, with women in Latin American and Caribbean countries showing greater brain age gaps, particularly in those with Alzheimer’s disease. These differences were linked to biological sex and gender disparities in health and social conditions. Variations in signal quality, demographics, or acquisition methods did not explain the results. These findings underscore the role of environmental and social factors in brain health disparities. 

The findings of this study have profound implications for neuroscience and brain health, particularly in understanding the interaction between macro factors (exposome) and the mechanisms that underlie brain ageing across diverse populations in healthy ageing and dementia. The study’s approach, which integrates multiple dimensions of diversity into brain health research, offers a new framework for personalised medicine. This framework could be crucial for identifying individuals at risk of neurodegenerative diseases and developing targeted interventions to mitigate these risks. Moreover, the study’s results highlight the importance of considering the biological embedding of environmental and social factors in public health policies. Policymakers can reduce brain age gaps and promote healthier ageing across populations by addressing issues such as socioeconomic inequality and environmental pollution. 

Source: University of Surrey