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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #393296
Research Project: Nutrition, Epidemiology, and Healthy Aging

Location: Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging

Title: Higher diet quality relates to decelerated epigenetic aging

Author
item KIM, YOUJIN - Tufts University
item HUAN, TIANXIAO - University Of Massachusetts
item JOEHANES, ROBY - National Institutes Of Health (NIH)
item MCKEOWN, NICOLA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item HORVATH, STEVE - University Of California (UCLA)
item LEVY, DANIEL - National Institutes Of Health (NIH)
item MA, JIANTAO - Tufts University

Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/26/2021
Publication Date: 6/16/2021
Citation: Kim, Y., Huan, T., Joehanes, R., McKeown, N.M., Horvath, S., Levy, D., Ma, J. 2021. Higher diet quality relates to decelerated epigenetic aging. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 115(1):163-170. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab201.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab201

Interpretive Summary: DNA methylation patterns have been used to develop biological age predictors, which are associated with aging and age-related diseases. Food and nutrients are reported to modify DNA methylation patterns. We, thus, explored the association between habitual diet and biological aging in the Framingham Heart Study. We found that higher diet quality score was associated with lower levels of biological aging. The beneficial relation between healthy diet and biological aging was apparent in individuals who have a history of smoking. Adopting a healthy diet may, therefore, be crucial for maintaining healthy aging.

Technical Abstract: Background: DNA methylation-based epigenetic age measures have been used as biological aging markers and are associated with a healthy lifespan. Few population-based studies have examined the relation between diet and epigenetic age acceleration. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the relation between diet quality and epigenetic age acceleration. Methods: We analyzed data from 1995 participants (mean age, 67 years; 55% women) of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. Cross-sectional associations between the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) score and 3 whole-blood DNA methylation-derived epigenetic age acceleration measures-Dunedin Pace of Aging Methylation (DunedinPoAm), GrimAge acceleration (GrimAA), and PhenoAge acceleration (PhenoAA)-were examined. A mediation analysis was conducted to assess the mediating role of epigenetic age acceleration in relation to DASH and all-cause mortality. Results: A higher DASH score was associated with lower levels of DunedinPoAm (Beta = -0.05; SE = 0.02; P = 0.007), GrimAA (Beta = -0.09; SE = 0.02; P < 0.001), and PhenoAA (Beta = -0.07; SE = 0.02; P = 0.001). All 3 epigenetic measures mediated the association between the DASH score and all-cause mortality, with mean proportions of 22.1% for DunedinPoAm (Pmediation = 0.04), 45.1% for GrimAA (Pmediation = 0.001), and 22.9% for PhenoAA (Pmediation = 0.03). An interaction was observed between the DASH score and smoking status in relation to the epigenetic aging markers. The association between the DASH score and epigenetic aging markers tended to be stronger in "ever-smokers" (former and current smokers) compared to "never-smokers." The proportions of mediation were 31.3% for DunedinPoAm, 46.8% for GrimAA, and 10.3% for PhenoAA in ever-smokers, whereas no significant mediation was observed in never-smokers. Conclusions: Higher diet quality is associated with slower epigenetic age acceleration, which partially explains the beneficial effect of diet quality on the lifespan. Our findings emphasize that adopting a healthy diet is crucial for maintaining healthy aging.