Differential associations of dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence with biological aging: A UK Biobank study
Background: Biological aging, distinct from chronological age, significantly impacts chronic disease risk and is a crucial target for health interventions. While diet is hypothesized to influence aging through inflammatory and oxidative pathways, systematic evidence from large populations remains li...
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1279770725001630 |
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| author | Cong Zhang Ren-Fang Han Song Yin Yue-Qing Huang |
| author_facet | Cong Zhang Ren-Fang Han Song Yin Yue-Qing Huang |
| author_sort | Cong Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Biological aging, distinct from chronological age, significantly impacts chronic disease risk and is a crucial target for health interventions. While diet is hypothesized to influence aging through inflammatory and oxidative pathways, systematic evidence from large populations remains limited. To address this gap, we used UK Biobank data with complementary dietary indices assessing inflammatory and antioxidant properties, providing comprehensive insights into diet-aging links. Methods: We analyzed data from 46,755 UK Biobank participants in this cross-sectional study. Dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence were assessed using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI), and Alternative Mediterranean Diet (aMED) scores, respectively, derived from 24-h food consumption reports. Biological age acceleration was quantified by Klemera-Doubal method biological age (KDM-BA) and phenotypic age (PhenoAge). Multivariate linear and logistic regressions, restricted cubic spline models, and mediation analyses were performed, adjusting for extensive confounders. Results: Pro-inflammatory diets (higher DII scores) were significantly associated with increased biological age acceleration (KDM-BA: β = 0.39; PhenoAge: β = 0.96, all P < 0.001), whereas antioxidant-rich diets (higher CDAI scores) and Mediterranean diets (higher aMED scores) showed inverse associations (CDAI: β= −0.33 to −0.50; aMED: β = −0.31 to −0.60, all P < 0.001). Logistic regressions confirmed that aMED adherence reduced odds of biological age acceleration (OR: 0.68–0.69, P < 0.001). Dose-response analyses revealed nonlinear positive associations between DII and PhenoAge acceleration (Pnonlinear < 0.001), nonlinear negative associations for CDAI (Pnonlinear ≤ 0.016), and near-linear negative trends for aMED (Pnonlinear ≤ 0.035). Mediation analyses indicated that DII and CDAI accounted for 15.7%–50.4% and 15.0%–20.2%, respectively, of the association between aMED and biological age acceleration, highlighting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms in delaying aging. Conclusion: This study provides robust evidence that dietary pro-inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence exhibit independent and differential associations with biological aging. Pro-inflammatory diets are associated with accelerated aging, whereas antioxidant-rich and Mediterranean diets are associated with decelerated biological aging. Mediation analyses reveal that the Mediterranean diet’s benefits are partially mediated by its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to establish causation and clarify mechanisms, positioning diet as a key modifiable factor for healthy aging. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b6fdc3f4b69d42f9b8f8b0a613ffd1c7 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1760-4788 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging |
| spelling | doaj-art-b6fdc3f4b69d42f9b8f8b0a613ffd1c72025-07-26T05:22:35ZengElsevierThe Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging1760-47882025-09-01299100638Differential associations of dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence with biological aging: A UK Biobank studyCong Zhang0Ren-Fang Han1Song Yin2Yue-Qing Huang3Public Health Department, Gusu District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Suzhou, ChinaHealth Management Center, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, ChinaLiuyuan Community Hospital, Gusu District, Suzhou, ChinaDepartments of General Medicine, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China; Corresponding author.Background: Biological aging, distinct from chronological age, significantly impacts chronic disease risk and is a crucial target for health interventions. While diet is hypothesized to influence aging through inflammatory and oxidative pathways, systematic evidence from large populations remains limited. To address this gap, we used UK Biobank data with complementary dietary indices assessing inflammatory and antioxidant properties, providing comprehensive insights into diet-aging links. Methods: We analyzed data from 46,755 UK Biobank participants in this cross-sectional study. Dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence were assessed using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI), and Alternative Mediterranean Diet (aMED) scores, respectively, derived from 24-h food consumption reports. Biological age acceleration was quantified by Klemera-Doubal method biological age (KDM-BA) and phenotypic age (PhenoAge). Multivariate linear and logistic regressions, restricted cubic spline models, and mediation analyses were performed, adjusting for extensive confounders. Results: Pro-inflammatory diets (higher DII scores) were significantly associated with increased biological age acceleration (KDM-BA: β = 0.39; PhenoAge: β = 0.96, all P < 0.001), whereas antioxidant-rich diets (higher CDAI scores) and Mediterranean diets (higher aMED scores) showed inverse associations (CDAI: β= −0.33 to −0.50; aMED: β = −0.31 to −0.60, all P < 0.001). Logistic regressions confirmed that aMED adherence reduced odds of biological age acceleration (OR: 0.68–0.69, P < 0.001). Dose-response analyses revealed nonlinear positive associations between DII and PhenoAge acceleration (Pnonlinear < 0.001), nonlinear negative associations for CDAI (Pnonlinear ≤ 0.016), and near-linear negative trends for aMED (Pnonlinear ≤ 0.035). Mediation analyses indicated that DII and CDAI accounted for 15.7%–50.4% and 15.0%–20.2%, respectively, of the association between aMED and biological age acceleration, highlighting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms in delaying aging. Conclusion: This study provides robust evidence that dietary pro-inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence exhibit independent and differential associations with biological aging. Pro-inflammatory diets are associated with accelerated aging, whereas antioxidant-rich and Mediterranean diets are associated with decelerated biological aging. Mediation analyses reveal that the Mediterranean diet’s benefits are partially mediated by its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to establish causation and clarify mechanisms, positioning diet as a key modifiable factor for healthy aging.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1279770725001630Dietary inflammatory indexComposite dietary antioxidant indexAlternative Mediterranean dietBiological agingUK biobank |
| spellingShingle | Cong Zhang Ren-Fang Han Song Yin Yue-Qing Huang Differential associations of dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence with biological aging: A UK Biobank study The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging Dietary inflammatory index Composite dietary antioxidant index Alternative Mediterranean diet Biological aging UK biobank |
| title | Differential associations of dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence with biological aging: A UK Biobank study |
| title_full | Differential associations of dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence with biological aging: A UK Biobank study |
| title_fullStr | Differential associations of dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence with biological aging: A UK Biobank study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differential associations of dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence with biological aging: A UK Biobank study |
| title_short | Differential associations of dietary inflammatory potential, antioxidant capacity, and Mediterranean diet adherence with biological aging: A UK Biobank study |
| title_sort | differential associations of dietary inflammatory potential antioxidant capacity and mediterranean diet adherence with biological aging a uk biobank study |
| topic | Dietary inflammatory index Composite dietary antioxidant index Alternative Mediterranean diet Biological aging UK biobank |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1279770725001630 |
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