Aging is more than counting birthdays; it’s a biological process shaped by how well our bodies function. A new perspective in npj Aging suggests that food doesn’t just provide calories, it delivers signals that can speed up or slow down this process.
The authors, led by Professor Carsten Carlberg of the University of Eastern Finland, argue that nutrition is one of the strongest levers we have for modulating biological age, a measure of functional health that can diverge from chronological age. They propose moving from one-size-fits-all dietary advice toward strategies tailored to slow aging at the molecular level.
Food contains thousands of bioactive compounds that interact with the body in complex ways, but researchers note that much of this “nutrition dark matter,” more than 139,000 compounds, remains poorly understood. Some are thought to influence pathways tied to inflammation, circadian rhythms, and immune resilience.
Biological age can be tracked with emerging “aging clocks,” which use biomarkers such as epigenetic patterns, proteins or microbiome data to estimate how fast or slow someone is aging. While these tools show promise, scientists caution that more validation is needed before they can guide individual health decisions.
Still, evidence continues to point toward whole dietary patterns as powerful modulators of aging. Plant-rich diets like the Mediterranean, DASH and AHEI diets have been linked with up to twice the odds of healthy aging, helping preserve cognitive, physical and mental function later in life.
The gut microbiome is emerging as a key player in this process. By shaping microbial diversity and stability, diet can influence systemic inflammation and other hallmarks of aging.
“Think of this as precision geroprevention,” Carlberg said. “With validated biomarkers and pragmatic policies, we can guide everyday food choices that keep biological age below chronological age for longer.”
The perspective calls for standardizing biomarker tools, mapping food-derived compounds more thoroughly and building cross-sector partnerships to bring precision nutrition from research into real-world practice. While much of the science remains exploratory, the authors say advances in genomics, microbiome research and biomarker technology could eventually make targeted dietary strategies a central part of public health and clinical care.
The authors received support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research program and the Polish National Science Centre, with additional input from the EIT Food Healthy Ageing Think & Do Tank.