It causes cells to prematurely age.
A recent study has highlighted the detrimental effects of added sugar on cellular aging. The research indicates that each gram of added sugar consumed is linked to an increase in cellular age, even if one’s overall diet is otherwise healthy.
Conversely, a diet rich in essential nutrients—such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds—can help maintain a younger biological age at the cellular level. The study concluded that healthier eating habits are associated with younger-looking cells.
Dr. Elissa Epel, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), noted that while high added sugar levels have long been connected to poorer metabolic health and early onset of disease, this study reveals that accelerated cellular aging is a key mechanism behind these effects. Excessive sugar intake may therefore limit one’s ability to age healthily.
The study involved analyzing dietary records from 342 women in Northern California, averaging 39 years old. Researchers compared these diets to their “epigenetic clock,” using saliva tests to estimate biological age versus chronological age. On average, participants consumed about 61 grams of added sugar daily, with individual intakes ranging from nearly 3 to 316 grams.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises a daily limit of 50 grams of added sugar for adults. For context, a bar of milk chocolate contains roughly 25 grams of added sugar, and a 12-ounce cola has about 39 grams. The study found that even when diets were otherwise nutritious, higher added sugar intake was associated with accelerated biological aging. However, reducing sugar intake by just 10 grams a day might reduce biological age by approximately 2.4 months if maintained consistently.
The Mediterranean diet was found to be particularly effective in maintaining a younger cellular age. This diet emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, olive oil, fish, and seafood, while minimizing red meat, processed foods, and sugary treats.
Published on July 29 in JAMA Network Open, the study underscores the importance of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients in promoting healthy aging. Lead researcher Dorothy Chiu, a postdoctoral scholar at UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Health, highlighted that these dietary guidelines align with existing health recommendations and demonstrate how adopting them can contribute to a younger biological age.
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