Association between dietary patterns and biological aging among Chinese middle-aged and older adults: evidence from a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that dietary patterns are associated with health outcomes in Chinese middle-aged and older adults. However, whether dietary patterns are associated with Klemera-Doubal biological age (KDM-BA) and physiological dysregulation (PD) remains unclear.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 4,846 adults aged 45 years and older from the 2009 wave of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). Three dietary patterns were derived using principal component analysis based on energy-adjusted food group intakes (g/1,000 kcal): Southern pattern, Western-like pattern, and Plant-rich pattern. KDM-BA acceleration and PD were calculated from routine clinical biomarkers. Linear regression models were used to examine the associations between dietary pattern scores and the two aging measures. Restricted cubic spline regression was applied to evaluate potential non-linear dose-response relationships.ResultsThe Southern and Western-like patterns were inversely associated with KDM-BA acceleration (β = −0.47, 95% CI: −0.70, −0.24; P < 0.001 for the Southern pattern; β = −0.50, 95% CI: −0.74, −0.26; P < 0.001 for the Western-like pattern), whereas the Plant-rich pattern showed a positive association (β = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.46; P = 0.043). For PD, only the Southern pattern was positively associated (β = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.03; P < 0.001). Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed a non-linear relationship between the Western-like pattern and KDM-BA acceleration (P for non-linearity = 0.027), whereas the other two patterns were approximately linear.ConclusionsDietary patterns were differentially associated with KDM-BA acceleration and PD. These findings suggest that specific dietary patterns are associated with healthy aging in Chinese middle-aged and older adults.