What this means
Aging processes could be influenced by diet. However, the extent to which dietary protein intake is associated with biological aging (BA) markers remains poorly characterized.
A plain-English summary is on its way. Until then, this is the start of the authors' own summary.
- Who it was tested in
- Not stated
- Kind of research
- Early results, not yet checked by other scientists
The science
- Original title
- Association of dietary protein intake with accelerated biological aging markers and all-cause mortality in adults
- Authors
- Reyes Barrera, J., Bello-Chavolla, O. Y., Fermin-Martinez, C. A. et al.
- Journal
- medRxiv (preprint, not yet peer reviewed)
- Published
- Oct 29, 2026
- Study type
- Preprint
Abstract
Background
Aging processes could be influenced by diet. However, the extent to which dietary protein intake is associated with biological aging (BA) markers remains poorly characterized. Here, we evaluated the association between dietary protein intake and BA markers and explored the extent to which BA markers mediate the association between protein intake and all-cause mortality.
What they did
We analyzed data from NHANES cycles 1999-2000 and 2001-2002. Dietary protein intake was expressed in g/kg/day. BA was estimated with TL, AnthropoAge, PhenoAge, and the Klemera-Doubal Method (KDM). Accelerated aging was defined as TL <25th percentile of the weighted population distribution and as residuals from BA markers regressed against CA. Survey-weighted logistic and linear regression models were fitted. Mortality correlates were evaluated using cause-specific Cox proportional hazards models and mediation analyses.
What they found
Among 6,249 adults (median age: 45 [IQR: 34-58], 52% women), we found that participants in the highest protein intake quintile (>1.40 g/kg/day) had a lower adjusted likelihood of having accelerated aging by TL (OR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22-0.73), PhenoAge (OR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.32-0.92), and KDM (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.32-0.87), compared with those in the lowest quintile (<=0.62 g/kg/day). Higher dietary protein intake was associated with a lower hazard of all-cause mortality, and BA metrics partially mediated these associations. Higher dietary protein intake was associated with a lower likelihood of accelerated aging and reduced mortality, with the latter association partially mediated by BA markers. Our findings suggest that dietary protein intake could influence healthy aging. Keywords: Protein, Aging, Accelerated aging
The authors' abstract, grouped under plain headings from its own section labels.
Reyes Barrera, J., Bello-Chavolla, O. Y., Fermin-Martinez, C. A. et al. Association of dietary protein intake with accelerated biological aging markers and all-cause mortality in adults. medRxiv. 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.10.27.26366537. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.27.26366537