Human study · Supplements / medicine · 27 Sept 2026
In 1,769 adults over 60, three healthy eating patterns tracked higher folate and lower GDF-15
Source: Karolinska Institutet / BMC Medicine
What the research found
Study (cross-sectional). Rachel Ann Da Costa, Adrián Carballo-Casla, and colleagues at Karolinska Institutet report in BMC Medicine (doi 10.1186/s12916-026-05202-2; Medical Xpress 27 September 2026) on 1,769 people aged 60 and older in the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen. Participants described their diet over the past year. Researchers compared three patterns — an alternative Mediterranean score, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, and a reverse Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index — with 54 blood biomarkers. Greater adherence lined up with higher folate and lower growth differentiation factor 15 on all three patterns. The lower-inflammatory pattern lined up with the largest number of biomarkers, especially those tied to inflammation and metabolism. Other links differed by pattern. The snapshot cannot show that changing diet changes the markers. Participants were mostly older adults from Stockholm with relatively high education. Educational notes.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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