Association of dietary protein intake with accelerated biological aging markers and all-cause mortality in adults
- 1INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE CARDIOLOGIA
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. OBJECTIVES: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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
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BibTeX
@misc{barrera2026association,
title = {{Association of dietary protein intake with accelerated biological aging markers and all-cause mortality in adults}},
author = {J. Reyes Barrera and O. Y. Bello-Chavolla and C. A. Fermin-Martinez and A. Kammar Garcia and N. A. Sanchez-Ortiz and R. Reyes Reyes and F. E. Garcia Arroyo and N. E. Antonio Villa},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.27.26366537},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.27.26366537v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Association of dietary protein intake with accelerated biological aging markers and all-cause mortality in adults
AU - J. Reyes Barrera
AU - O. Y. Bello-Chavolla
AU - C. A. Fermin-Martinez
AU - A. Kammar Garcia
AU - N. A. Sanchez-Ortiz
AU - R. Reyes Reyes
AU - F. E. Garcia Arroyo
AU - N. E. Antonio Villa
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.27.26366537
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.27.26366537v1
AB - 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. OBJECTIVES: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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
ER -