Biological Age May Predict Dementia Risk—Here’s Why a Plant-Based Diet Could Help Slow It Down

Dementia is a growing public health concern in the US. Currently, more than six million Americans are living with the condition, which causes progressive decline in memory, reasoning, and cognitive function. As the population ages, the number of dementia cases is projected to increase significantly—potentially doubling by 2060, according to the National Institutes of Health.

However, one new study published in the journal Neurology suggests that some dementia risk factors might be in our control. The researchers from Zhengzhou University in China followed 280,000 people from the UK for 14 years, and found that those with a higher biological age than their chronological age might be more likely to develop dementia.

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In fact, the researchers found that those in the highest biological age group were about 30 percent more likely to develop dementia compared to those in the lowest group.

This means that, maybe, reducing biological age to lower than chronological age might help lower the risk of developing dementia for some individuals. However, it’s important to note that this new study does not prove causation, only an association between advanced biological age and dementia.

What is biological age, and can it be reduced?

Biological age refers to how old your body physiologically appears based on various biomarkers of health and function. It is different from your chronological age, which is the number of years you’ve been alive.

In the new study, researchers assessed biological age using biomarkers like lung function, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood-based indicators of organ function and immune response.

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Some factors that influence biological age, like genetics and environment, are impossible to control. However, our biological age is also influenced by our lifestyle behaviors, too, and these are possible to change. Things like diet, exercise, sleep, stress levels, and smoking all impact biological age.

For example, a 60-year-old individual who eats healthy foods, exercises regularly, and avoids harmful habits, like excessive alcohol consumption and ultra-processed foods, may have a biological age of 50. A sedentary 45-year-old individual, who smokes and drinks regularly, may have high blood pressure and a biological age closer to 60.

But the good news is, it is possible to influence your biological age by changing your habits.

“With the rising impact of dementia around the world, identifying risk factors and implementing preventive measures is essential,” study author Yacong Bo, PhD, said in a statement. “While none of us can change our chronological age, we can influence our biological age through lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise.”

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Eating more plants might help you reduce your biological age

Previous research has suggested that eating an abundance of plant-based whole foods, which are rich in health-boosting nutrients like fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, could help reduce biological age.

Last year, for example, researchers from Stanford University looked at data from 21 pairs of identical adult twins. They found that those who had eaten a plant-based diet for eight weeks had decreased their biological age. The twins who had eaten an omnivorous diet for the same period did not experience the same reduction.

The research was built on previous findings from the study, which was first published in 2023. You can learn more about it in the 2024 Netflix documentary You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.

“[The research] suggests that anyone who chooses a vegan diet can improve their long-term health in two months, with the most change seen in the first month,” said Christopher Gardner, PhD, senior author of the Stanford study.

Also in 2024, findings from the Research Unit of Epidemiology and Prevention at Italy’s IRCCS Neuromed in Pozzilli suggested that people who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods, like processed meats, fast food, sodas, potato chips, and candy, might have higher biological ages. 

“Our data shows that a high consumption of ultra-processed foods not only has a negative impact on health in general, but could also accelerate aging itself,” explained researcher Simona Esposito.

If you want more research to back up the claim that plant-based whole foods can reduce biological age, just look at the Blue Zones, which are five areas of the world where people live healthy lives into their 80s, 90s, and even 100s. Their diets? Low in meat and high in plants. If you’re intrigued, you can read more about the food lessons from the oldest people on the planet here.