July 1, 2025, 10:35 am | Read time: 6 minutes
It is well-known that diet influences physical aging processes. Certain dietary habits are recognized for promoting healthy aging. A new study compared various diets and identified plant-based foods that stand out for their positive effects.
A lot of salt, sugar, and animal products–especially red meat–are among the dietary components that can accelerate aging processes. In contrast, a plant-based diet is considered beneficial for healthy aging, as a large-scale study recently showed (FITBOOK reported).1 Specifically, the Mediterranean diet (also known as the Mediterranean diet) is often associated with longevity and health. A new study has now compared which plant-based foods, found in diets considered particularly beneficial, have the greatest impact on slowing aging processes.2
Overview
Study Highlights Bioactive, Age-Inhibiting Foods
“The European population is known for adhering to diets that demonstrably promote healthy aging and individual well-being,” the study authors write in their introduction. In their research, they specifically examined the praised Mediterranean diet, a purely plant-based diet, and the Nordic diet. The latter focuses on regional vegetables, fruits, and berries, as well as whole grains; fish and seafood are the primary animal products consumed. The study focused on foods with antioxidant, or age-inhibiting, properties.
Details of the Study
The researchers analyzed scientific publications from the three major databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Using search terms like “Aging,” “Healthy Aging,” and specific terms related to various dietary patterns, they identified relevant studies. They also specifically searched for terms related to individual diets, such as “antioxidant effects of citrus fruits.” To ensure current findings, they limited themselves to publications from the past six years. After a careful selection process, the researchers chose 135 English-language human studies, in vitro or in vivo investigations.
These Foods Determine Aging Processes
The study focused on foods that play an important role in all three diets examined. These include olive oil, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. “In particular, the potential positive effects of these foods were examined,” the authors explain, “by considering various aging processes and oxidative stress that underlie the aging process.” Olive oil, nuts, and similar foods contain numerous antioxidant substances that help reduce oxidative stress in the body. Oxidative stress is considered one of the main causes of cell damage and accelerated aging. The antioxidant effect of these foods protects against free radicals, which attack important cell components, and thus against premature aging processes of the cells. In this way, they support the maintenance of cell functions in old age–they essentially keep you young.
Effects of Individual Products and Foods
So how exactly do these bioactive foods work, which apparently not only allow for a longer life but also a healthier one? The researchers delved into the details.
Olive Oil
No Mediterranean diet is complete without olive oil. The product contains a variety of bioactive plant compounds, the researchers explain, including polyphenols such as hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and oleocanthal. Their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects–they intervene in molecular processes that regulate inflammation and oxidative stress–are particularly strong. Several of the studies reviewed demonstrated a potentially protective effect of olive oil against mitochondrial dysfunction. According to the authors, this dysfunction is not only an important feature of aging but is also increasingly considered one of the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
Avocados
Although avocados were not originally part of the Mediterranean diet, they are increasingly grown or imported in the Mediterranean region today–they are certainly widespread there. The oil of the fatty fruit is rich in bioactive substances, the study authors explain. These activate, among other things, the enzyme Sirtuin 1, a protein with “neuroprotective” effects, which can thus protect against age-related changes in the brain. Additionally, avocado oil contains high amounts of oleic acid, which can improve insulin sensitivity and have anti-inflammatory effects. In a cell model, the researchers write, avocado oil was shown to mitigate the negative effects of oxidative stress and partially reverse the damage caused. Overall, the study results suggest that avocado oil, thanks to its unsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, and other bioactive compounds, could have a protective effect against age-related cell damage, particularly in the brain.
Dark Chocolate
Another food, or rather a delicacy, that has often been studied in connection with slowed aging processes: dark chocolate. It contains a higher cocoa content, and cocoa is rich in flavonoids, which have antioxidant effects, counteract DNA damage, and can promote the stability of cell nuclei. One of the studies reviewed showed its potential anti-aging effect, particularly concerning telomere length.
Dark chocolate could thus positively affect telomeres in several biological ways. On one hand, there is the promotion of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis via an insulin-dependent signaling pathway–a process associated with healthy telomeres. On the other hand, the flavonoids from cocoa may inhibit the ACE enzyme (angiotensin-converting enzyme). Its activity can negatively affect telomere length. Furthermore, dark chocolate also seems to influence the ApoA1/HDL system, which plays an important role in cellular health and the maintenance of telomeres.
Yogurt
A non-plant-based product, but one with proven effects. FITBOOK recently reported on a study suggesting that women should rely on liquid dairy products like yogurt to strengthen their bones as they age.4 These contain lactic acid bacteria: a group of probiotics that offer various health benefits. During the fermentation process, in addition to the bacteria, antioxidant peptides are also formed, amino acid chains with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The authors refer to a study with mice that showed yogurt can significantly reduce the degradation of telomeres in the liver and white blood cells. Additionally, consumption seems to lower the activity of the aging marker β-galactosidase. At the same time, lactic acid bacteria increase the detoxifying abilities of the liver and the antioxidant capacity in the liver, heart, and brain. They also reduce harmful oxidation products.
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Significance of the Study and Limitations
The evaluation once again shows that high-quality plant-based foods and especially their fats can be a central part of a diet that slows aging processes. But animal protein and fat sources like dairy products, fish, and eggs also provide valuable nutritional building blocks, the researchers write. The analyzed foods showed indications of protective effects against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and their regular consumption also seems to promote metabolic health.
The results of the study discussed here suggest that a combination of several healthy, related dietary patterns could be particularly effective for healthy aging. However, the researchers caution that these should be interpreted with caution at first. Many significant features and processes that influence aging processes are still not well understood. This also applies to the connection with the effects of certain foods. It was not considered, for example, that people can react differently to the same diet, which may be related to genetic factors or individual lifestyle. Additionally, it should be noted that many of the evaluated correlations come from observational studies. There is a lack of controlled intervention studies that could more clearly demonstrate cause and effect. The researchers emphasize the importance of further investigations.