A new study from Italy shows that eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help you live longer. However, consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs), like frozen pizza and packaged snacks, may speed up your biological aging.
The study was conducted by the IRCCS Neuromed Mediterranean Neurological Institute. It included over 22,000 adults from the Molise region of Italy. The researchers found that people who ate more UPFs showed signs of accelerated biological aging compared to those who consumed fewer processed foods.
Participants who ate more than 14% of their total food intake as UPFs experienced a biological aging acceleration of about four months. While this might not sound significant, the effect could compound over the years, leading to more noticeable changes in the long run.
The researchers used artificial intelligence and deep neural networks to analyze 36 biomarkers in participants’ blood. These biomarkers included indicators of inflammation, metabolism, and organ function. This allowed the researchers to calculate a “biological age” for each participant and compare it to their actual chronological age.
Processed meat products were the largest contributor to UPF consumption, making up 17.6% of total intake. Cakes and pastries followed at 14.2%, and fruit drinks accounted for 10.9%. Participants who consumed more UPFs tended to be younger, better educated, and more likely to live in urban areas. However, they were also less physically active and had fewer chronic diseases, which the researchers attributed to their younger age.
