In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists from the German center DZNE discovered a paradox: people whose eating habits match any of ten different "healthy" patterns show slower age-related changes in their DNA.
Biological age, measured by epigenetic clocks, reflects the actual wear and tear of the body rather than the date in a passport. When it lags behind chronological age, the risk of dementia and cardiovascular disease decreases — this is precisely what the researchers recorded in 6470 participants of the Rhineland Study.
The team applied three different epigenetic clocks to blood samples from nearly 7500 people and tested the results in an independent EPIC-Potsdam cohort. All ten patterns — Mediterranean, Nordic, DASH, MIND, plant-based and others — showed an association with slower aging, although the strength of the effect varied.
Notably, the overlap of biological pathways affected by these diets exceeds 70 percent: cell structure, cellular signaling and metabolism. That is why diets differing in composition produce a similar result at the DNA level.
Smokers derived the greatest benefit — probably because they had more "room" to compensate for the harm caused by tobacco. This underscores that the effect of a diet depends on the body's initial state.
Picture two plates: one with olive oil, fish and vegetables, the other with whole grains, berries and nuts according to Nordic rules. Both slow the rate of DNA methylation, even though the sets of foods barely overlap. What matters is the overall picture of diet quality, not strict adherence to a single canon.
The study gives no grounds to consider any one pattern universally best: the differences between the diets are modest, and the overlap of participants falling into the top quartile on all ten indicators at once is minimal — only 18 people from the sample.
The authors emphasize a practical conclusion: there is no need to strive for a perfect diet. It is enough to choose the healthy pattern that fits one's habits, budget and culture — and to follow it consistently.
The results confirm that nutrition remains one of the few accessible levers influencing the pace of biological aging even before the appearance of clinical symptoms of disease.
