We will experience changes to our DNA as we age, but some of these changes may be reversible. Environmental and behavioral changes don’t change the DNA sequence itself, of course, but they can alter the way your body reads it. Optimizing epigenetics can potentially affect some of the world’s health issues such as immunity, weight, heart health, and much more, all of which could help to turn back or slow our biological clocks to promote longevity via internal activities such as DNA methylation mechanisms within the body that help to produce potent anti-aging antioxidants among others.
A mediation analysis was conducted in order to determine how epigenetic age acceleration’s mediation role connected to DASH and all-cause mortality, with the findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggesting that the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) could beneficially assist in these changes.
The DASH diet is promoted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for lowering blood pressure, and recommends eating vegetables, fruits, legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains. Foods high in saturated fats and sugars should be limited.
Researchers evaluated data from 1,995 participants from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. They were mostly women and had an average age of 67. The team made cross-sectional associations between their DASH score and three markers of DNA methylation, which Mbg health explains is “a biochemical process that happens in the body all day, every day, and helps your body produce adequate levels of powerful antioxidants.”
While exactly what makes this diet so beneficial to aging is not completely clear, the report noted that when you give your body missing nutrients and antioxidants, you have the potential to stabilize free radicals that can block the methylation cycle. That can lead to general health and promote longevity.
“This favorable relation between higher diet quality scores and epigenetic age deceleration may be related to reductions in oxidative and inflammatory stress,” note the researchers.
“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,” researchers concluded.
The bottom line is, according to this study, by optimizing DNA methylation patterns with a healthy diet that is full of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains you may be supporting healthy aging.
Now we have even more science to back up the claim that food is medicine.
