Changing the balance of your diet could help turn back your body’s biological age in just a few weeks, a new study suggests.
Scientists from the University of Sydney conducted a trial involving 104 people aged 65 to 75. They were then divided into four groups, and for four weeks the research team provided each group with a different type of meal.
One of them received high-fat semi-vegetarian meals. Another received high-carb, semi-vegetarian meals. One third received omnivorous (animal and plant) meals high in fat, and the last was subjected to an omnivorous diet high in carbohydrates.
At the beginning and end of the four weeks, the participants’ biological age was measured – essentially an overall reading of their cellular function and metabolism. To do this, they used the Klemera-Doubal method, which looks at a number of biomarkers and measurements, including insulin, cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
The fewest changes were seen in the high-fat omnivore group, whose diet most closely resembled the one they followed at the start of the trial.
But the other three groups showed a reduction in their biological age at the end of the four weeks – notably the group that ate an animal- and plant-based diet with more carbohydrates and less fat.
Importantly, these carbs were minimally processed – repeating the test with supermarket white bread and a bag of crisps would not give as positive a response.
These changes are “consistent with previous evidence that diets high in complex carbohydrates can extend lifespan and improve metabolic health,” the scientists said in their findings published in the journal. Aging cell.
Dr Caitlin Andrews, lead author of the study, said it showed that “diet can actually influence our physiology in quite substantial ways, even over relatively short periods of time and even later in life.”
“I think there is a lot to be said for shifting the focus from restrictions to overall dietary quality and balance,” she added. “Small, realistic and sustainable improvements in overall diet quality can still have significant effects on health as we age.”
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