Until recently, the ageing process was widely seen as an unavoidable decline marked by the build-up of damaged cellular components. Yet some forms of life appear to resist ageing altogether by entering a kind of suspended animation. Date palm seeds uncovered during archaeological digs have germinated after thousands of years, and bacterial spores sealed in amber have remained viable for tens of millions of years. We don’t even need such unusual examples to show that biological age and chronological age can drift apart. There are clinical cases where the ageing clock has not only been paused but actively pushed backwards.
This is explained by epigenetics. The term literally means “above genetics,” adding another layer of information to our DNA. It is the mechanism that switches genes on and off.
Epigenetics allows organisms to adapt far more quickly to changes in their environment. Large alterations in the genetic code may take centuries, but the genes we already have can be activated or silenced. This is encouraging, as it means our DNA is not a life sentence. Whatever our family history, the choices we make each day can influence which genes are expressed, shaping not only our own health but potentially that of our children and even our grandchildren.
In the “Gene Expression Modeling by Nutritional and Lifestyle Intervention” (GEMINAL) study, Dr Dean Ornish and his team took tissue biopsies before and after participants followed three months of lifestyle changes, including a whole-food, plant-based diet. They found beneficial shifts in the expression of 500 different genes. Protective genes became more active, while oncogenes, which promote cancer, were suppressed. Regardless of the genes we inherit, we can influence how they behave through the food we eat and the way we live. This is the essence of epigenetics: the same DNA producing very different outcomes.
One of the most striking examples of the epigenetic impact of diet on lifespan comes from the honey bee. Queen bees and worker bees share the same genetic code, yet the queen can live for around three years and lay more than 2,000 eggs a day, while the worker bee survives only three weeks and is sterile. The difference lies entirely in what they are fed. When a queen is nearing the end of her life, nurse bees choose a single larva and feed it royal jelly. Worker larvae, by contrast, receive a blend of honey and pollen known as bee bread. Royal jelly switches off the enzyme that had been silencing the queen genes, allowing the larva to develop into a new queen. She has the same genes as the workers, but her diet activates a completely different pattern of gene expression, transforming both her biology and her lifespan. Thanks to epigenetics, the queen lives fifty times longer.
Reflecting these processes, research increasingly shows that certain combinations of plant phytonutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds can support favourable epigenetic changes in humans. This is why many longevity specialists encourage a daily intake of micronutrient-rich greens. In this context, products like Nucleo Greens, which bring together a range of plant-based ingredients, can support cellular resilience, antioxidant defences, and healthy regulation at the cellular level. It is simply one illustration of how diet can gently shape the epigenetic mechanisms that influence our long-term health.