Plant-Based Diets May Reverse Biological Aging, Study Finds

A recent study in Australia explored how modifying a typical 'Western' diet could support healthy aging. Researchers tested four different eating plans with varying levels of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. The aim was to see how dietary changes might influence long-term health in older adults. Participants were given freshly prepared, unprocessed meals with different proportions of fat, meat, and carbohydrates. Each group followed a diet where roughly 70% of protein came from plant sources and 30% from animal sources.

All groups lost a similar amount of weight, averaging about 1.8 kilograms, with around 1.4 kilograms of that being fat. However, not all diets had the same impact on health. Diets with less meat and more carbohydrates from whole grains and vegetables led to improvements in biological age. In contrast, the high-fat, meat-heavy 'Western' diet showed no change in this metric.

The study found that replacing some daily meat intake with plant-based proteins and swapping saturated fats for complex carbohydrates brought health benefits. These changes were linked to better biological age scores, suggesting long-term advantages for older adults. The findings indicate that reducing meat consumption and saturated fats may improve health and slow biological aging. Diets rich in plant-based proteins and complex carbohydrates appear to offer the most benefit. The study highlights the potential of dietary adjustments to support healthier aging in older populations.