What Foods Reverse Biological Age?

This Week’s Research Highlight

Not everyone ages at the same rate.

Two people can be the same age on paper but decades apart at the cellular level.

That’s because biological age — as opposed to chronological age — can move faster or slower than the calendar.

And in recent years, scientists have been looking for ways to push it in reverse.

In 2021, a small clinical trial made headlines for showing just that: after an eight-week lifestyle overhaul, participants had reversed their biological age by just over two years — measured using a leading epigenetic clock.

But that two-year figure didn’t tell the whole story.

You see, some participants got nearly nine years younger. Others saw no improvement. And one actually aged by a similar margin! In other words, the results were kind of all over the map.

Change in biological age per participant. The treatment group (red) saw a two year reduction in biological age on average, but individual results varied dramatically, from –8.9 to +8.6 years. From Fitzgerald et al, 2021.

At first glance, this kind of variability might seem like a red flag.

But what if it wasn’t a bug, but a feature?

What if the outliers were trying to tell us something?

A new follow-up analysis set out to answer that question. And in doing so, it uncovered something more powerful than the average result: a clearer picture of what actually moves the dial on biological age.

A Closer Look at the Outliers

The intervention was highly structured, but the real-world execution was not.

Participants were instructed to follow a comprehensive eight-week protocol designed to support DNA methylation, a key mechanism in epigenetic aging.

The plan emphasized nutrient-dense whole foods like leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, beets, eggs, seeds, and liver — while excluding alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, and added sugar.

And it didn’t stop at diet. Participants were also instructed to:

• Exercise five days per week
• Sleep at least seven hours per night
• Practice stress reduction twice daily
• Take two daily supplements: a polyphenol-rich blend and a probiotic strain linked to folate production and gene regulation

(Check out table 2 from the full text to get a sense for how extensive this protocol was!)

So, on paper, the program was standardized. But in practice, participants had choices — especially within the food guidance. Some prioritized certain elements over others. And that divergence ultimately showed up in the results.

By the end of the trial, the control group aged by about a year.

Meanwhile, the treatment group, on average, got two years younger.

But that average obscured a much wider truth: biological age shifts ranged from –8.8 to +8.5 years — a swing of more than 17 years across individuals on the same protocol!

Rather than chalking this up to randomness, researchers took a different approach: they zoomed in on what the most successful participants actually did.

They re-analyzed the data — food logs, blood markers, weight change — to identify common threads. And what they found wasn’t a supplement, or a specific routine. It was a pattern of food intake.

Six specific foods (and technically, beverages) emerged as the strongest predictors of biological age reversal in the entire trial.

What the Responders Had in Common

First, the researchers looked for the obvious explanations. The ones you’re probably thinking of.

Was it weight loss? No.

More fruit? More protein? More leafy greens? Still no.

But one pattern wouldn’t go away.

The strongest predictor of biological age reduction was a group of familiar foods the researchers had labeled methyl adaptogens, which included:

• Turmeric
• Garlic
• Green tea
• Oolong tea
• Berries
• Rosemary

At a glance, these ingredients don’t have a whole lot in common, spanning different botanical categories and culinary traditions.

But beneath the surface, they share a biochemical signature: phytochemicals that influence gene expression, often by modifying DNA methylation patterns — a key process in the biology of aging.

And in this trial, the more often people ate them, the younger they got, biologically speaking.

This held true even after adjusting for factors like weight loss and starting biological age. In fact, just two variables — methyl adaptogen intake and baseline biological age — explained nearly half of the variation in outcomes across the treatment group.

That’s a strong signal in a field where many interventions barely nudge the clock.

And the effect wasn’t mirrored by other foods commonly thought of as anti-aging staples. Leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, liver — none showed a statistically significant link to biological age change.

So this wasn’t just about eating better. It was about choosing foods with a specific kind of molecular influence.

The compounds in these methyl adaptogens have been shown in preclinical research to directly influence the hallmarks of aging, the core biological processes that shift as we grow older.

Let’s break a few of them down.

Adjusted correlations between dietary intake and epigenetic age change. Methyl adaptogens were the only dietary variable significantly linked to biological age reversal, even after adjusting for weight loss. Other foods showed no significant association.

Green Tea & Oolong Tea: Re-tuning the Genetic Switchboard

One of the most powerful levers in the epigenetic system is DNA methylation, the process of adding small chemical tags called methyl groups to specific spots on the genome. These methyl groups don’t change the DNA sequence itself. Instead, they act like on/off switches for gene activity.

This system helps cells maintain order. But with age, that order starts to break down. Methylation patterns become scrambled, meaning that some genes that should stay off — like inflammatory or tumor-promoting genes — become abnormally active, and others that should stay on — like DNA repair or stress-response genes — get silenced.

Enter EGCG, a compound found in green tea (and to a lesser extent oolong tea). Preclinical studies have shown that EGCG can inhibit DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) — the enzymes responsible for laying down new methyl tags.

With age, DNMTs tend to become overactive, scrambling methylation patterns. EGCG appears to help dampen this overactivity, preserving a more stable gene expression profile— one that more closely resembles a youthful epigenetic state.

Aging disrupts epigenetic precision. Dietary polyphenols, like EGCG, may help stabilize these epigenetic patterns and slow aspects of the aging process. From Pereira et al, 2023.

Turmeric & Rosemary: Clearing Out Cellular Waste

You know that mitochondria are often called the powerhouses of the cell. But what you might not realize is that mitochondria are quite fragile. Over time, they accumulate damage, and when that happens, they don’t just stop working. They start leaking toxic byproducts that accelerate inflammation, drain energy, and hasten cellular aging.

Normally, the body keeps this in check through mitophagy: a process that tags and removes dysfunctional mitochondria. But like many maintenance systems, mitophagy slows with age, allowing debris to build up and disrupt cellular health.

Curcumin (from turmeric) and rosmarinic acid (from rosemary) have been shown in lab studies to help restore this process. They activate key cleanup signals—including AMPK, a cellular energy sensor, and the PINK1/Parkin pathway, which identifies damaged mitochondria. They also help suppress mTOR, a growth signal that blocks autophagy when overactive.

By reactivating mitophagy, these compounds reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, supporting healthier energy metabolism and more resilient cells.

Berries: Protecting the Chromosomal Clock

Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, which shorten slightly each time a cell divides. When they get too short, the cell either dies or enters senescence — a dysfunctional, pro-inflammatory state that drives aging from within.

Telomere shortening is accelerated by oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and reduced activity of telomerase, the enzyme that can rebuild them. As telomeres erode, tissue renewal slows, immune function declines, and aging accelerates.

Anthocyanins, the pigments in dark-colored berries, are thought to help preserve telomeres on multiple fronts. They act as antioxidants, shield telomeric DNA from damage, and reduce inflammation. Some studies even suggest they can stimulate telomerase, supporting telomere maintenance without triggering uncontrolled growth.

In short, anthocyanins help extend the cell’s lifespan by defending the structures that keep it dividing (and functional) for longer.

Garlic: Easing Off the Cellular Gas Pedal

At the center of the body’s growth machinery is a signaling circuit known as PI3K/AKT/mTOR. It’s how cells interpret external cues — like nutrients, insulin, or stress — and decide what to do next: grow, repair, divide, or conserve energy.

When this pathway is triggered, a cascade begins. First, PI3K activates AKT, which in turn stimulates mTOR. mTOR acts like a cellular gas pedal, shifting the cell into growth mode: building proteins, ramping up metabolism, and preparing to divide.

Now, in the right context — like after a workout — this is exactly what you want. Short bursts of mTOR activity, in the right places, can help repair tissue, support immunity, and build strength.

But with age, and especially under conditions of chronic nutrient excess, this system can get stuck in the “on” position. Cells are pushed to keep growing even when they should be cleaning up. Autophagy, the cell’s internal housekeeping process, gets suppressed. Inflammation and metabolic dysfunction start to build. The result is a system that’s out of balance — more wear and tear, less repair.

Allicin, the sulfur compound released when garlic is crushed, appears to modulate this pathway. Preclinical studies suggest it inhibits enzymes in the signaling cascade, dialing down mTOR activity and restoring conditions that support cellular cleanup and repair.

By rebalancing this system, allicin may reduce wear and tear and help cells shift from chronic growth back to maintenance mode.

Putting It All Together

What set these foods apart wasn’t their nutritional value. It was their concentration of bioactive compounds known to interact with core hallmarks of aging — from epigenetic regulation to mitochondrial health.

But the best part is you don’t need to overhaul your diet to benefit.

In the study, the most successful participants regularly included a short list of accessible foods, each selected for its epigenetic potential. Here's what the menu looked like:

• 🍛 Turmeric – ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams ground turmeric)
• 🧄 Garlic – 2 cloves (6–8 grams raw garlic)
• 🍓 Berries – ½ cup (75 grams fresh berries)
• 🍵 Green tea – 2 cups (475 ml brewed tea)
• 🍂 Oolong tea – 3 cups (710 ml brewed tea)
• 🌿 Rosemary – ½ teaspoon (0.5 grams dried rosemary)

Importantly, they didn’t have to hit every item every day. But they made a habit of including at least one or more on a consistent basis.

For something as complex as aging, the intervention was actually incredibly simple. And in this case, the smallest ingredients may have made the biggest difference.

Summary: In an eight-week clinical trial, participants followed a comprehensive lifestyle protocol aimed at supporting DNA methylation, including a nutrient-dense diet, daily exercise, stress reduction, sleep targets, and two supplements. The average participant in the treatment group saw a two year reduction in biological age. However, individual outcomes varied dramatically — from nearly nine years younger to over eight years older. A follow-up analysis revealed that the strongest predictor of improvement was frequent intake of six specific foods: turmeric, garlic, green tea, oolong tea, berries, and rosemary. These foods, dubbed “methyl adaptogens” by the research team, are all rich in bioactive phytochemicals thought to directly interact with aging-related pathways at the epigenetic level.

Random Trivia & Weird News

🐼 The world’s most expensive tea is fertilized with panda poop. Yes, panda poop.

In 2012, a Chinese entrepreneur debuted a green tea grown in panda dung, claiming the animal’s bamboo diet would enrich the soil and boost antioxidant content.

A single pound was priced at over $35,000, marketed as both a health tonic and a luxury experience.

No word on how it affects your epigenetic age!

Podcasts We Loved This Week

• Danny Lennon & Alan Flanagan: Is protein’s appetite-suppressing power overstated? Via Sigma Nutrition Radio.

• Kiran Musunuru: The Gene-Editing Breakthrough That Saved a Baby’s Life. Via Plain English with Derek Thompson.

Products We Like

MRM Super Foods Matcha Green Tea Powder

Looking for a powerful source of EGCG? Matcha delivers up to 137 times more EGCG than standard brewed varieties, according to lab analyses.

That’s what makes it such a standout for anyone interested in mitochondrial support, brain performance, or epigenetic aging.

We are fans of MRM Super Foods specifically, because the product was tested by ConsumerLab for safety, purity, and flavonoid content, giving it a rare layer of trustworthiness in the supplement space.

humanOS Catalog Feature of the Week

Daily Performance & Diet

In this course, we cover how foods rich in bioactive compounds, like EGCG from green tea and anthocyanins from berries, can influence mitochondrial function, brain blood flow, and the molecular signals that shape performance and aging.

If today’s study on methyl adaptogens got you thinking, this is where the science gets practical.

To Access:

1. Log in to humanOS.
2. See Programs in navigation on the left-hand side
3. Click Daily Performance Program.
4. Scroll down to Daily Performance and Diet.

Wishing you the best,