Janssens Georges E, van Dongen Jenny, Ligthart Lannie, de Geus Eco J C, Salomons Gajja S
Laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Clin Epigenetics. 2025 Jul 29;17(1):133. doi: 10.1186/s13148-025-01934-9.
The 2021 Aging Report of the European Union projected significant increases in healthcare costs, with some member states expecting up to a 60% rise over the next 50 years, primarily due to an aging population and related diseases. Interventions targeting aging have been proposed to reduce this burden by extending healthspan. Recent evidence suggests that vegan diets may slow the aging process.
Using data from the Netherlands Twin Register (n = 22,124), dietary habits of meat eaters (n = 21,614), pescetarians (n = 294), vegetarians (n = 194), and vegans (n = 22) were examined, which were collected in a 2014-2016 survey period. Health parameters such as BMI, waist circumference, and insulin sensitivity showed improved health with more plant-based diets, though results were not adjusted for confounders. Epigenetic age was assessed using the Hannum, Horvath, PhenoAge, GrimAge, and Dunedin Pace of Aging clocks for 3049 participants with DNA methylation (DNAme) data from a 2004-2011 sample collection period and were compared to calendar age from the time of blood draw. Although discordant twin pairs with and without vegan diets (n = 3) were too few for statistical significance, their results suggested a potential benefit of veganism. In the subpopulation with complete data on DNA methylation, dietary habits, and covariates (n = 1198), veganism was significantly associated with lower epigenetic aging scores on the Hannum and Horvath clocks, even after adjusting for confounders (age, sex, smoking, education, physical activity, BMI, and alcohol use). Analysis of individual covariates in the model found that higher education, physical activity, being female, and non-smoking were associated with reduced epigenetic age, while higher BMI was linked to increased epigenetic age; however, since these parameters were used with the primary purpose of accounting for confounders, caution should be used in interpreting these results. Finally, dietary analysis showed that abstaining from pork was associated with lower biological ages (Dunedin Pace of Aging), whereas abstaining from poultry was linked to higher biological ages (PhenoAge, Dunedin Pace of Aging).
Although with a small sample size and a large time gap between nutritional survey collection and blood collection for participant's epigenetic ages, these findings suggest that dietary choices, particularly plant-based diets, may influence epigenetic aging. The results highlight the potential of veganism to reduce epigenetic age and underscore the importance of further research to clarify the relationship between diet and aging. Larger cohorts and clinical trials would be necessary to gain more certainty on our initial findings.
欧盟《2021年老龄化报告》预计医疗保健成本将大幅增加，一些成员国预计在未来50年内将增长高达60%，主要原因是人口老龄化和相关疾病。已提出针对衰老的干预措施，通过延长健康寿命来减轻这一负担。最近的证据表明，纯素饮食可能会减缓衰老过程。
利用荷兰双胞胎登记处（n = 22124）的数据，对肉食者（n = 21614）、鱼素者（n = 294）、素食者（n = 194）和纯素食者（n = 22）的饮食习惯进行了研究，这些数据是在2014 - 2016年调查期间收集的。体重指数、腰围和胰岛素敏感性等健康参数表明，植物性饮食比例越高，健康状况越好，不过结果未对混杂因素进行调整。使用汉纳姆、霍瓦特、表型年龄、格里姆年龄和达尼丁衰老速度时钟对3049名参与者的表观遗传年龄进行了评估，这些参与者的DNA甲基化（DNAme）数据来自2004 - 2011年的样本收集期，并与采血时的日历年龄进行了比较。尽管有和没有纯素饮食（n = 3）的不一致双胞胎对数量太少，无法得出统计学意义，但他们的结果表明纯素饮食可能有益。在具有DNA甲基化、饮食习惯和协变量完整数据的亚组（n = 1198）中，即使在调整了混杂因素（年龄、性别、吸烟、教育程度、身体活动、体重指数和饮酒情况）后，纯素饮食与汉纳姆和霍瓦特时钟上较低的表观遗传衰老得分显著相关。对模型中的个体协变量进行分析发现，高等教育、身体活动、女性和不吸烟与表观遗传年龄降低有关，而较高的体重指数与表观遗传年龄增加有关；然而，由于这些参数主要用于解释混杂因素，在解释这些结果时应谨慎。最后，饮食分析表明，不吃猪肉与较低的生物学年龄（达尼丁衰老速度）相关，而不吃家禽与较高的生物学年龄（表型年龄、达尼丁衰老速度）相关。
尽管样本量较小，且营养调查收集与参与者表观遗传年龄采血之间存在较大时间间隔，但这些发现表明饮食选择，特别是植物性饮食，可能会影响表观遗传衰老。结果突出了纯素饮食在降低表观遗传年龄方面的潜力，并强调了进一步研究以阐明饮食与衰老之间关系的重要性。需要更大的队列和临床试验来对我们的初步发现获得更多确定性。
