Do we age as we eat? New study explores the relationship between diet and lifespan

26 Sep 2022 --- A study published in BMC Biology found associations between nutrient intake and healthy aging. The study highlights that there has been too much focus on specific nutrients and single outcomes rather than “the larger picture.”

Conducted by researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the scientists argue that rather than optimizing a series of nutrients at periods in life, healthy diets need to be consistent and diversified.

“Our ability to understand the problem has been complicated because nutrition and the physiology of aging are highly complex and multidimensional, involving a high number of functional interactions,” says Alan Cohen, associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia Mailman School.

“This study supports the importance of looking beyond a single nutrient at a time as the ‘one size fits all’ response to the age-old question of how to live a long and healthy life,” he adds.

Study findingsSome nutrients showed more efficiency in combination with others, such as combining vitamins E and C.
Nutrient intake levels were dependent on the aging metric input. When increasing protein intake, some aging parameters were improved while others were depressed. Increased carbohydrate levels showed the same mixed results.

In line with previous studies on mice, the scientists note that high-protein diets at a young age may accelerate aging, while at an older age, it may be beneficial.

Another dependency was the optimal levels of nutrients, as certain nutrients are more efficient depending on levels of other nutrients, for example, vitamins E and C. 

The researchers explain that there is a “broad tolerance for nutrient intake patterns that don’t deviate too much from norms.” Lastly, they found that some nutrients performed well at intermediate levels rather than high ones.

Further research needed
The researchers described the study as a “roadmap for future studies,” as key patterns identified specific nutrients’ effects on aging. Therefore, future studies extending beyond multidimensional modeling techniques are required to explore “the full complexity of the nutrition-aging landscape.” 

“These results are not experimental and need to be validated in other contexts. Specific findings, such as the salience of the combination of vitamin E and C, may well not replicate in other studies,” says Cohen.

“But the qualitative finding that there are no simple answers to optimal nutrition is likely to hold up: it was evident in nearly all our analyses, from a wide variety of approaches, and is consistent with evolutionary principles and much previous work,” he adds.

Edited by Beatrice Wihlander

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