Association between plant and animal protein and biological aging: findings from the UK Biobank

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between plant protein, animal protein and biological aging through different dimensions of biological aging indices. Then explore the effects of substitution of plant protein, animal protein, and their food sources on biological aging.

Methods: The data came from 79,294 participants in the UK Biobank who completed at least two 24-h dietary assessments. Higher Klemera-Doubal Method Biological Age (HKDM-BA), higher PhenoAge (HPA), higher allostatic load (HAL), and longer telomere length (LTL) were estimated to assess biological aging. Logistic regression was used to estimate protein-biological aging associations. Substitution model was performed to assess the effect of dietary protein substitutions.

Results: Plant protein intake was inversely associated with HKDM-BA, HPA, HAL, and positively associated with LTL (odds ratios after fully adjusting and comparing the highest to the lowest quartile: 0.83 (0.79-0.88) for HKDM-BA, 0.86 (0.72-0.94) for HPA, 0.90 (0.85-0.95) for HAL, 1.06 (1.01-1.12) for LTL), while animal protein was not correlated with the four indices. Substituting 5% of energy intake from animal protein with plant protein, replacing red meat or poultry with whole grains, and replacing red or processed meat with nuts, were negatively associated with HKDM-BA, HPA, HAL and positively associated with LTL. However, an inverse association was found when legumes were substituted for yogurt. Gamma glutamyltransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase mediated the relationship between plant protein and HKDM-BA, HPA, HAL, and LTL (mediation proportion 11.5-24.5%; 1.9-6.7%; 2.8-4.5%, respectively).

Conclusion: Higher plant protein intake is inversely associated with biological aging. Although there is no association with animal protein, food with animal proteins displayed a varied correlation.

Keywords: Animal protein; Biological aging; Dietary protein food sources; Plant protein; Substitution; UK Biobank.

Fig. 1

The RCS curve of the association between plant and animal protein and biological aging indices. After adjusting for sex, age, ethnicity, Townsend deprivation index, education level, smoking status, drinking status, physical activity, body mass index, overall health rating, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, intakes of total energy, fruits, vegetables, saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acids, intake of dietary cholesterol, diet quality, multiple vitamin supplement use. The mutual adjustment was conducted for plant protein and animal protein analysis

Fig. 2

Mediating effects of biochemical indexes on the relationship between plant protein and biological aging indices. a Mediation analysis for the indirect effect of gamma glutamyltransferase b Mediation analysis for the indirect effect of alanine aminotransferase c Mediation analysis for the indirect effect of aspartate aminotransferase. *** means P < 0.001. ALT Alanine aminotransferase, AST Aspartate aminotransferase, HAL Higher allostatic load, HKDM-BA Higher Klemera-Doubal Method Biological Age, HPA Higher PhenoAge, LTL Longer telomere length