The Study
Associations of dietary flavones, particularly apigenin and luteolin, with phenotypic age acceleration: A cross-sectional study using NHANES data
This study found that people who ate more flavones (like in celery and parsley) tended to have bodies that looked younger than their real age. But it didn't prove that eating more flavones made them younger-looking—maybe people who are already healthier just eat better foods.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at what people ate and how fast their bodies aged, using blood markers. They found people who ate more of certain plant compounds—apigenin and luteolin—tended to have bodies that aged more slowly.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—this suggests eating more flavone-rich foods like parsley, celery, and chamomile tea might help your body stay younger longer, even if you're older or have health conditions.
- 2People who ate about 2.7 times more flavones had 9.6% lower odds of fast aging.
- 3Those in the top quarter of apigenin intake had 35% lower odds; luteolin eaters had 26% lower odds.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Medicine
Year
2025
Authors
Xiaoqiao Wang, Chang Liu, Guixia Li, Shuya Tian, Wujian Peng, Peijia Liu
Related Content
Claims (5)
People who consume more apigenin have a 35.3% lower chance of showing accelerated biological aging compared to those who consume less, after accounting for other diet and lifestyle factors.
U.S. adults who consume more total flavones, apigenin, and luteolin through their diet have lower rates of accelerated biological aging as measured by phenotypic age, after accounting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, and cardiometabolic disease.
People who consume more luteolin have a 26.4% lower likelihood of showing accelerated biological aging compared to those who consume less, after accounting for other diet and lifestyle factors.
People who consume moderate to high amounts of flavones show slower biological aging compared to those who consume low amounts, but this effect does not increase steadily with more intake.
Higher intake of flavones is linked to slower biological aging as measured by phenotypic age acceleration in U.S. adults, regardless of age, sex, race, income level, or presence of cardiometabolic disease.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.