A small diet study is drawing major interest after researchers found that older adults could lower their biological age score in as little as four weeks.
Improvements were seen among participants who cut fat or ate more plant-based carbohydrates, suggesting that even diet changes made later in life may quickly affect markers associated with aging.
Researchers from the University of Sydney analyzed 104 adults aged 65 to 75 and assigned them to one of four diets for four weeks.
The eating plans included two omnivorous diets and two semi-vegetarian diets, with the semi-vegetarian groups getting about 70% of their protein from plant sources.
Within those diet groups, researchers divided participants between a higher-fat, lower-carbohydrate pattern and a lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate one. They then used 20 biomarkers, including cholesterol, insulin, and C-reactive protein, to estimate each person's biological age, which reflects how the body is functioning rather than simply how many birthdays they have had.
The findings, published in the journal Aging Cell, showed that all groups except the omnivorous higher-fat diet had declines in biological age. The biggest improvement was seen in the omnivorous higher-carbohydrate group.
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Lead researcher Caitlin Andrews said the results point to "the potential benefits of dietary changes later in life," while also emphasizing that longer studies are still needed.
Biological age has become an increasingly watched health measure because it can capture wear and tear on the body that chronological age cannot. Two people may be the same age on paper but have very different risks for heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, and other age-related conditions.
The four-week study did not show whether people will live longer or avoid disease.
The study did not show that one diet can dramatically or permanently "reverse aging." It measured short-term changes in cholesterol, insulin, and inflammation, which doctors and public health experts already monitor in older patients.
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The findings also align with broader nutrition research suggesting that diets centered more on plants and lower in heavy fat intake may support healthier aging. A separate recent study linked healthy plant-based eating to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
For now, researchers are calling for larger, longer trials to determine whether these biological age changes last and whether they translate into lower rates of age-related disease. They also want to know whether the same effects would appear in other age groups or cohorts.
Short-term biomarker improvements are promising, but they do not prove better health outcomes over time. This study adds to growing evidence that reducing excess fat intake and building meals around more plant-forward carbohydrates, such as beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, may support healthier aging.
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