A recent study analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), focusing on 22,600 adults with an average age of 48, while excluding individuals under 20 years, pregnant women, and those lacking dietary or biological data.

Participants self-reported their dietary intake over a 24-hour period, which was then used to calculate their dietary diversity score (DDS).

The study assessed dietary diversity using a score based on various food groups, revealing that a higher DDS correlates with a more varied diet and essential nutrient intake.

Statistical analysis indicated a significant association between higher DDS and slower biological aging, with a p-value of under 0.001, although some subgroup results did not achieve statistical significance.

The findings suggest that greater dietary diversity is linked to slower biological aging, as measured by phenotypic age and biological age methods.

These results align with previous research that connects low food diversity to increased risks of age-related diseases, highlighting the public health importance of promoting dietary diversity for healthy aging.

While the study suggests associations between dietary diversity and aging, it does not establish causality due to its observational nature, indicating a need for further research to explore underlying mechanisms such as gut microbiota diversity.

The researchers considered oxidative stress as a potential mediator in the relationship between dietary diversity and aging, noting lower levels of the oxidative stress indicator GGT in individuals with higher DDS.

Inflammatory markers were also examined, showing reduced white blood cell counts and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratios in those with greater dietary diversity, alongside increased levels of albumin and serum klotho, which are associated with anti-aging properties.