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Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

1-14-2026

Abstract

Biological aging arises from the accumulation of molecular changes or “hallmarks”, which can represent a person's aging status than chronological age. A healthy lifestyle can slow biological aging and prevent or delay the onset of multiple age-related diseases. This study is the first to investigate the independent and joint association of physical activity (PA) and inflammatory diet with acceleration of aging. Method: Data from 4767 participants in the 2017-2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed. Binary logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, smoking, and sleep disturbances, were used to assess the independent and joint associations of PA (measured by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire) and inflammatory diet (measured by the energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) from 24-hour dietary recall) with accelerated aging, represented by Phenotypic Age Acceleration (PhenoAgeAccel). PhenoAgeAccel was calculated as the residuals from regressing phenotypic age (PhenoAge)on chronological age. Additive interaction models evaluated synergistic/antagonistic effects between PA and DII on PhenoAgeAccel. Adequate PA a 14% lower risk of PhenoAgeAccel (OR = 0.860; 95% CI: 0.74-1.86; p = 0.521), although the association was not statistically significant. After adjusting for potential confounders, a pro-inflammatory diet was significantly associated with a 56% higher risk of PhenoAgeAccel (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.37–1.77; p < 0.001). Additive interaction analysis revealed a significant synergistic effect between physical inactivity and pro-inflammatory diet on PhenoAgeAccel (RERI=24.7072, AP=0.7862, S=4.2004). Compared to the “inactive & pro-inflammatory” group, the “inactive & anti-inflammatory” group exhibited a 36.5% lower risk of PhenoAgeAccel (OR = 0.635; 95% CI: 0.557–0.722). The “active & anti-inflammatory” (OR = 0.741; 95% CI: 0.362–1.483) and “active & pro-inflammatory” (OR = 0.861; 95% CI: 0.432–1.676) groups also showed potential risk reductions. The study PA had no significant impact on aging, while the" inactivity & anti-inflammatory " group showed the greatest reduction in aging risk, contradicting prior research. High PA levels in active participants may indicate that excessive activity promotes oxidative stress and aging, requiring further validation. Additionally, diet played a more significant role, especially with low PA. Further cohort studies are recommended to validate this conclusion. We suggest that combining an anti-inflammatory diet with scientifically appropriate PA may help delay aging. Our findings offer practical suggestions for a healthy lifestyle that may help delay aging among the general population.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18122/ijpah.5.1.146.boisestate

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