Short Oral Presentation Nutrition Society of Australia 50th Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

Association between nut intake and biological ageing in United States adults (146715)

Barbara Cardoso 1 2 , Hesti Retno Budi Arini 1 3 , Euridice Martinez Steele 4
  1. Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, Notting Hill, VIC, Australia
  2. Victorian Heart Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
  3. Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
  4. Department of Nutrition, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Biological ageing, the gradual accumulation of molecular and cellular damage over time, leads to the decline in physiological function and increased vulnerability to diseases. Diet is a key environmental pathway with potential to affect healthy ageing1. Healthy dietary patterns that include nuts, such as the Mediterranean diet and plant-based diets, have been associated with slower biological ageing over time2-4, but the association between nut intake and markers of biological ageing has not previously been investigated. This cross-sectional study examined the association between nut intake and biological age in participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010 (n 13,881; aged 20-79 years, 55% female).  Nut intake was assessed using at least one 24-h dietary recall and expressed as g/day. Biological ageing was assessed using the PhenoAge algorithm. PhenoAge gap was calculated as the difference between predicted biological age and chronological age; higher PhenoAge gap value indicates an advanced state of biological ageing and increased risk of diseases and mortality. Associations between nut intake and the PhenoAge gap were examined using multivariable linear regression models adjusted for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and body mass index. On average, participants consumed 8 ± 0.2 g/day of nuts. Higher nut intake was associated with a lower PhenoAge gap (β = -0.01; 95% CI -0.02, -0.00). These findings suggest that higher nut intake is associated with a younger biological age, as indicated by a lower PhenoAge gap, and support a potential role for nut consumption in healthy ageing.

References

  1. Al-Naggar IM, Newman JC, Kuchel GA (2023) J Nutr Health Aging,27(3):238-239.
  2. Thomas A, Ryan CP, Caspi A, et al (2024) Ann Neurol,95(6):1069-1079
  3. Thomas A, Belsky DW, Gu Y (2023) J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci,78(9):1535-1542.
  4. Gensous N, Garagnani P, Santoro A, et al (2020) Geroscience,42(2):687-701.