A diet rich in ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) was associated with an acceleration of biological aging in a large sample of Italian adults. For the study, which included 22,495 participants (mean chronological age, 55.6 years; 52% women), biological age was determined based on 36 blood biomarkers—specifically, the mean difference between the mean biological ages of participants and their mean chronological ages. Food intake was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire.

Participants were categorized by sex and according to the proportion of UPFs in their diet.

Higher intake of UPFs was associated with accelerated biological aging compared with the lowest intake, with a mean difference between the biological and chronological ages of −4.1 years with the lowest intake and +1.6 years with the highest intake.

The poor nutritional composition of highly processed foods weakly accounted for the association, according to the authors, suggesting that biological aging could be adversely influenced by nonnutrient characteristics of UPFs, such as changes during processing that alter the foods’ structure. Regardless of the mechanism, the association stands and should be considered for meal-planning purposes and daily eating.

To read the abstract of the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, click here