Researchers found a link between following a diet rich in vitamins and minerals and achieving a younger biological age at the cellular level. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, looked at how three different measures of healthy eating affect the "genetic clock," a biochemical test that can approximate both health and age. They discovered that the better the food people ate, the younger their cells appeared. Even when consuming healthy diets, every gram of added sugar they ingested was associated with an increase in their genetic age.
The researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, stated that even when we eat healthy food, every gram of added sugar causes our "cells to age." This study is the first to show a link between added sugar and genetic aging and the first to examine this association in a heterogeneous group of women, both Black and White, in midlife. Most studies on this subject have included older White participants.
The average daily intake of added sugar for 342 women from Northern California in the University of California, San Francisco study was 61.5 grams. Most of the participants in the study were around forty years old. The researchers focused on the biological ages of the participants, which reflects the age of cells and tissues. This figure is influenced by genetics and lifestyle habits, such as diet and exercise, and may be higher or lower than our chronological age, which is the number of years we have lived.
The researchers linked healthy eating, particularly the Mediterranean diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, nuts, and seeds, to a decreased biological age. Added sugar accelerated biological aging, even if the sugar was part of a healthy diet.
