Study Shows Low-Sugar Diet Can Benefit Biological Age

A recent study by researchers at UC San Francisco shows a significant connection between a nutrient-rich diet low in added sugars and a younger biological age at the cellular level. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, examined how various measures of healthy eating impacted an "epigenetic clock"—a biochemical test that estimates health and lifespan. The findings suggest that healthier diets correlate with younger cellular age, and even minor increases in added sugar consumption can accelerate epigenetic aging.

"We knew that high levels of added sugars are linked to worsened metabolic health and early disease,” said senior co-author Elissa Epel, PhD, a professor in UCSF's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “Now we know that accelerated epigenetic aging is underlying this relationship, which likely limits healthy longevity."

The research is some of the first to establish a link between added sugar and epigenetic aging and the first to examine this connection in a diverse group of midlife women, both Black and white. Previous studies have primarily focused on older white populations.

The cross-sectional study analyzed food records from 342 Black and white women, with a mean age of 39 years, from Northern California. Researchers compared their diets to epigenetic clock measures derived from saliva samples. The women’s diets were scored against a Mediterranean-style diet, a diet associated with lower chronic disease risk, and a newly developed "Epigenetic Nutrient Index (ENI)" based on nutrients linked to antioxidative and anti-inflammatory processes, as well as DNA maintenance and repair. These nutrients include Vitamins A, C, B12, and E, folate, selenium, magnesium, dietary fiber, and isoflavones.

Adherence to any of the healthy diets was significantly associated with a lower epigenetic age, with the Mediterranean diet showing the strongest association. Notably, the study found that consuming added sugars was linked to accelerated biological aging, even in the presence of an otherwise healthy diet.

"Given that epigenetic patterns appear to be reversible, it may be that eliminating ten grams of added sugar per day is akin to turning back the biological clock by 2.4 months if sustained over time,” explained Barbara Laraia, PhD, RD, a co-senior author and professor at UC Berkeley.

For integrative practitioners, these insights highlight the critical role of dietary choices in modulating cellular aging and overall health. According to the study, encouraging patients to adopt diets rich in key nutrients and low in added sugars could be a powerful strategy in promoting longevity and preventing age-related diseases.