How Does Sugar Affect Aging?
A new study found that women following a diet rich in vitamins and minerals with low added sugar had a lower biological age. Moreover, even when people follow healthy diets, the researchers found that each gram of added sugar consumed was associated with a higher biological age. The researchers at the University of California (UC) in San Francisco, US, examined the impact of different healthy diets on participants’ epigenetic clocks, a biochemical test that approximates health and lifespan.
“Given that epigenetic patterns appear to be reversible, it may be that eliminating 10 g of added sugar per day is akin to turning back the biological clock by 2.4 months if sustained over time,” underscores co-senior author Dr. Barbara Laraia, a UC Berkeley professor in the Food, Nutrition and Population Health program.
“Focusing on foods high in key nutrients and low in added sugars may be a new way to help motivate people to eat well for longevity.” According to the researchers, their study is one of the first to show a link between added sugar and epigenetic aging. It is also the first to find this link in a heterogenous group of women, Black and White, in midlife, whereas most earlier studies included older White participants.
Excerpted from Nutrition Insight
