Finding a way to slow the ageing process has fascinated humanity for centuries and remains a major goal of modern medicine. Yet new research suggests the answer may not depend on costly, cutting-edge treatments. Instead, a carefully structured diet could help lower a person’s biological age.

Remarkably, researchers say measurable improvements may appear in fewer than four weeks.

The findings, from an Australian study published in the journal Aging Cell, have raised the possibility that a practical “fountain of youth” could be found not in a laboratory or medicine cabinet, but in everyday food choices.

Researchers followed 104 adults between the ages of 65 and 75, assigning them to one of four eating plans for four weeks: an omnivorous high-fat diet (OHF), an omnivorous high-carbohydrate diet (OHC), a semi-vegetarian high-fat diet (VHF), or a semi-vegetarian high-carbohydrate diet (VHC).

Participants received prepared menus, all based largely on minimally processed ingredients. Carbohydrates came from whole foods, including wholegrains, beans, fruit and vegetables. Although the plans were not specifically designed for weight loss, most participants shed some weight during the trial.

By the study’s conclusion, the omnivorous high-fat group showed no significant shift in biological age. The other three groups, however, recorded reductions. Biological age was assessed through clinical measures such as blood pressure, along with 20 biomarkers including cholesterol, insulin and C-reactive protein, an indicator associated with inflammation.

The strongest results came from the omnivorous high-carbohydrate plan, which supplied 14 per cent of calories from protein, 28 to 29 per cent from fat and 53 per cent from complex carbohydrates. On average, participants following this diet ended the trial with a biological age approximately three and a half years lower than at the beginning, compared with those on the omnivorous high-fat plan. The semi-vegetarian diets produced an average reduction of about three years.

For both omnivorous diets, animal foods provided half of the protein, with the remainder coming from plants. The semi-vegetarian plans contained 70 per cent plant-based protein.

“Dairy products were included in all four eating plans,” said Dr Caitlin Andrews, who led the research at the University of Sydney’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences.

Breakfast commonly consisted of muesli and yoghurt. In the semi-vegetarian groups, red meat and poultry were replaced with foods such as beans, soy, nuts and seeds, rather than removing animal products altogether. Meals could include either chicken or tofu tikka masala, for example, or a casserole prepared with lamb or beans.

Dr Andrews said the researchers aimed to create eating plans that reflected real life. “Discussions about diet and ageing are often presented as a choice between two extremes — plant or animal protein, carbohydrates or fat,” she said.

“In practice, people consume combinations of these foods. This trial allowed us to examine protein sources and the balance between fat and carbohydrates at the same time, including whether those factors work together to produce health benefits.”

Participants lost an average of 4lb during the four-week study, while 94 per cent recorded at least some weight loss.

Speaking to Good Health, Dr Andrews said the weight reduction occurred in every group, including the higher-fat omnivorous group, which did not experience a meaningful change in biological age. That suggests weight loss by itself cannot account for the differing results between diets.

Researchers do not yet know precisely why the lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate plan produced the greatest improvement. They were also surprised that changes appeared so quickly.

“Four weeks is a relatively short period, so we did not necessarily expect to see a change within that time,” Dr Andrews said. However, she noted that some biomarkers, including C-reactive protein, can respond to dietary changes fairly rapidly.

A possible explanation is that the meal plans moved participants away from a typical Western diet and toward fibre-rich, minimally processed foods.

Dr Thomas Holland, a physician-scientist at Rush University in Chicago who studies lifestyle changes and age-related chronic disease, said the Australian research was consistent with earlier evidence.

A large study published in Nature Medicine last year followed more than 100,000 people for as long as three decades. It found that those who lived longer and remained healthier tended to eat more fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, unsaturated fats, nuts, legumes and low-fat dairy products.

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Those who reported higher intakes of salt, trans fats (formed when liquid fats are made solid, such as in some margarines), sugary beverages and red or processed meats (or both) were less likely to reach 70.

Dr Holland told Good Health: ‘This makes complete sense to me because the diets that improved had several things in common, including lower saturated and trans fats and higher fibre and fruit and vegetables.’ 

He adds that fibre, for instance, can help steady blood sugar levels, and improve the gut microbiome. Fruit and vegetables also provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals and compounds that can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress – where damaging molecules known as free radicals damage cells. Lowering saturated fat can improve LDL cholesterol and vascular health.

‘These findings also fit well with what we see in the MIND, Mediterranean, and DASH diets, which emphasise many of these same foods while limiting high-fat dairy, butter, fried foods, sweets, and red or processed meats.

‘So I think the bigger takeaway is not one particular food or nutrient – but a high-fibre, minimally processed, nutrient-dense dietary pattern.’

Many studies have shown that healthy eating goes hand in hand with slower biological ageing – including a new study published in Nature Communications.

Researchers in Germany looked at ten different diets, including the Mediterranean diet and the Nordic diet (which focuses on plenty of root vegetables, wholegrains and seafood). Blood samples were checked for markers of DNA methylation, a type of change affecting which genes are turned on or off, that can be used to measure biological age.

Across the board, the diets which were judged to be healthy because they contained plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy oils – with low amounts of processed food and saturated fats – were associated with slower biological ageing. 

Meanwhile, eating too much processed food can speed up the ageing process, in particular driving a process called cellular senescence, when ageing cells become ‘zombies’ and stop dividing but release inflammatory signals.

As Dr Holland explains: ‘Diets high in added sugars, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, and low in fibre can contribute to metabolic dysfunction [such as type 2 diabetes and obesity] and drive oxidative stress.’

‘Senescent cells can release inflammatory signals that affect surrounding tissue, contributing to chronic inflammation and preventing organs and skin healing and regenerating.’

More studies are needed to show long-term benefits of dietary changes, however.

The University of Sydney study is not yet conclusive about whether the benefits are temporary or permanent.

Dr Andrews said: ‘Our findings reinforce the idea that healthier overall dietary patterns may support healthier ageing over time – and that small, realistic and sustainable improvements to overall diet quality may still have meaningful effects on health as we get older.’

Time to eat more strawberries?

Fisetin, a compound in strawberries, can destroy damaged or ageing cells, which accumulate in tissue as we get older causing inflammation and damage, according to a 2024 study in the journal Mechanisms of Ageing and Development.

Strawberries also contain pelargonidin, a compound thought to help reduce the rate of cognitive decline and risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia.

But Dr Thomas Holland, a US expert on lifestyle and ageing, says it’s not as simple as eating more strawberries.

‘There are several foods that can be thought of as “super” foods, but, from a general perspective, ageing is too complex for one food to be the “magic pill”.

‘It’s the diversity of foods that have a more impactful influence over healthy ageing.’

The New York Times technology executive who was allegedly fatally shot by his elderly in-laws in California had a history involving domestic violence and child-abuse allegations, court records reviewed by The Post show.

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, the newspaper’s director of engineering for games player experience, was killed at about 3 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Dublin Sports Grounds, police said. The suspects were identified as Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77.

Alameda County court records show McKinsey was charged in 2025 with two misdemeanor counts of child abuse.

The charges followed a call to Dublin police from his wife, Candice Jang, who reported that McKinsey had struck her six-year-old son in the face with an open hand, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jang also described a 2018 domestic-violence incident in which, according to court documents, McKinsey bruised her left arm.

When deputies went to the family’s home, they found the couple’s two-year-old child alone upstairs while McKinsey was out shopping, a sheriff’s deputy said.

McKinsey pleaded not guilty to both charges and was released from jail on the condition that he attend parenting classes.

A Times spokesperson confirmed that McKinsey was the victim of Saturday afternoon’s shooting and said he had worked for the newspaper since 2023.

First responders tried to save him, but he died at the scene. Witnesses said two masked attackers approached McKinsey in the parking lot.

According to witnesses, the gunmen took turns firing at McKinsey before a police officer passing by quickly arrested them.

Disturbing footage from the scene appeared to show a body lying in the parking lot in broad daylight, while two people were placed in the back of a police vehicle.

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Alameda County Sheriff’s Office inmate records state that Zhang is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds. His wife, Chen, is listed as 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 110 pounds.

The couple is from the Dublin area and also has ties to Albuquerque, New Mexico, The Post reported.

Zhang and Chen were booked into Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder. McKinsey had been married to their daughter, Jang.

Booking records list potential charges including first-degree murder, felony conspiracy, reckless discharge of a firearm and child endangerment likely to cause serious injury or death.

McKinsey’s technology career spanned nearly two decades. He began in the late 2000s as a software engineer with organizations including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Oracle, and later worked in product strategy at Coursera.

In 2018, he moved into engineering management at UKG before taking on a series of leadership positions at Splunk.

McKinsey joined The New York Times in early 2023 as a senior engineering manager for the games platform. In that role, he oversaw infrastructure supporting popular titles such as Connections and helped scale systems for major spikes in traffic.

He later joined the games player experience team as a senior engineering manager and became its director of engineering in late 2025. He led a 25-person team focused on developing features and monetization for millions of daily puzzle players.

McKinsey earned a master’s degree in computer science from UC Berkeley in 2015.

Nathan Wu, whose LinkedIn says he worked at UC Berkeley, wrote in a comment on his LinkedIn late Sunday: “Rip buddy.”

British police plan to release five terror suspects on bail Monday after arresting them over an alleged plot targeting a U.S. air base in the country over the weekend.

Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said the investigation remains active, including the possibility that the alleged plot was being carried out by proxies or by people knowingly or unknowingly acting on behalf of a foreign state. Iran’s embassy in the U.K. has denied any link to the suspects.

The arrests late Sunday followed a call from a local farmer in Gloucestershire, who told the BBC she contacted police after finding three white vans blocking a road near RAF Fairford. When she turned her vehicle around, her headlights revealed a group of “hooded and masked men.” She said the men appeared to panic and ran into nearby woods.

Authorities described all five suspects as U.K. nationals but released no additional information about them.

RAF Fairford hosts major U.S. Air Force assets and has served as a launch point for several American operations in the war against Iran in recent months.

Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said the farmer had captured at least a “partial picture” of what occurred.

“I do want to thank the member of the public who acted quickly and called this in,” Streeting told the BBC.

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“I would also just say, respectfully, that she has a partial picture. And I won’t go beyond that, in terms of commenting on operational security matters,” he added.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, told the BBC she was stunned that her 999 emergency call had apparently “foiled whatever plans they had.” She also said she was surprised the base did not appear to have stronger surveillance and security measures.

Iran’s Embassy in London issued a forceful denial Monday, rejecting any connection to the incident.

“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base,” the Embassy wrote on X.

“The Circulation of such fabricated speculations, particularly in the aftermath of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the U.K.,” the statement continued.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, as necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and damaging media narratives,” it added.

As she faces ovarian cancer for the fourth time, a Utah mother is determined to create a lasting bucket-list memory with her young daughter.

Jenny Lowe, 41, discovered in August that the disease had returned. Even amid another difficult round of treatment, she remains focused on making the most of the time she has with her family.

Lowe and her husband, James, are set to attend a Kacey Musgraves concert, but their five-year-old daughter Hope is too young to go. Now, Lowe is hoping to arrange a brief meeting between the singer and her family.

The couple bought tickets for Musgraves’ October 15 performance in Salt Lake City with friends. Only later did they realize that Hope was also an enthusiastic fan of the country music star.

Lowe recently shared an Instagram video of Hope singing “Too Good to Be True,” tagging Musgraves in the heartwarming clip.

She has since appealed directly to the musician, asking whether there might be a chance for Hope to meet her family’s favorite artist—even if only for a few minutes.

“Kacey, I’m taking a chance and hoping this somehow finds its way to you,” Lowe wrote in her post. “My five-year-old daughter, Hope, has accidentally turned one of your songs into something that belongs to the two of us.”

She said Hope was devastated to learn that she would not be able to attend the concert.

“If there is any possible way for Hope, my husband and me to meet you for even a few minutes while you’re in Salt Lake City, I would be incredibly grateful,” Lowe continued.

“I don’t need anything elaborate. I’d just love for Hope to meet the woman behind the song she calls ‘Make Some Breakfast,’” she added.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Lowe said her close relationship with Hope gives her one of the strongest reasons to continue fighting the illness.

“I can handle a lot of things in life, but the thought of not being here to be her mom as she gets older is one that brings me to tears EVERY. SINGLE. TIME,” she said.

Although she struggles to imagine life without her daughter, Lowe said she must also confront the painful possibility that it could become the outcome of her cancer journey.

Musgraves’ music has become part of the mother and daughter’s daily life. Lowe often sings “Too Good to Be True” to Hope as part of their bedtime routine.

Hope knows the lyrics by heart, but because the song begins with the words “make some breakfast,” she believes that is its actual title.

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Lowe recalled that after learning her cancer had returned, she was feeling especially low one evening when Hope began singing the song to comfort her.

“I recorded it in the dark, and you can’t even see her, but I’ve kept that little recording because hearing her sing it to me is one of the most precious memories I have,” Lowe wrote.

She told ABC4 that the moment was special because she realized how kids listen to things carefully and we often do not notice how it can impact them.

It was after this heartwarming moment that the mom decided to shoot her shot and see if Hope and the family could meet Musgraves.

‘I kind of just made this public plea about, you know, is there any way we could meet her, or somehow get in front of her so that Hope could meet the woman behind ‘make some breakfast,’’ Jenny told the outlet.

She was astounded that so many people shared her story, calling it a ‘moment of human interest and impact.’

‘It’s just this really humbling and profound moment… People are just being so kind to share our story and be willing to make these small bucket list items come to fruition,’ she told the outlet.

‘These memories that we make right now are the most important I can hold on to forever,’ Lowe said. 

Lowe was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer in 2019, ABC4 reports.

She and James were planning to start a family but due to the diagnosis, Lowe said she lost the ‘ability to have children of my own.’

The couple had Hope in 2021 through surrogacy, Lowe told the outlet.

‘My heart breaks. It is not more complex than that,’ Lowe told The Daily Mail as she opened up about her journey.

‘Just a mom who is heartbroken over the thought of not being able to see her daughter grow and get older,’ she said.

Her cancer came back in 2023 and was in remission but it came back again in 2025.

The mother has also written a book on her cancer journey titled Saved by Hope.

‘Hope is just always here to bring a light… I don’t know what this journey would look like without her here. She’s a blessing to have in our family,’ she said.

Cornell University on Monday criticized the alleged victim in a fraternity gang-rape case, calling her “irresponsible” for suggesting the accused faced little more than an essay-writing punishment.

The embattled Ivy League school did not deny that the seven accused students were ordered to write essays following the alleged assault. However, Cornell said the essays were not the only disciplinary measures imposed.

“None of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement,” the university said in a statement issued just hours after the local district attorney announced a new criminal investigation into the alleged ketamine-fueled gang rape.

Cornell also sharply criticized the accuser’s lawsuit, arguing that it presented an “irresponsible” account by implying the accused fraternity members faced minimal consequences.

“A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault,” the university said.

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According to Cornell, an internal disciplinary panel’s investigation resulted in some of the fraternity members being suspended and others being expelled.

In an earlier statement to The Post, which first reported on the lawsuit, the university said “federal privacy law” barred it from publicly discussing “any other disciplinary response.”

Although Cornell has now acknowledged that some of the students were expelled, it has not said how many of the seven defendants received expulsions compared with temporary suspensions. The university also has not disclosed whether any of the men remain enrolled.

Cornell did not respond to a list of questions from The Post seeking clarification.

The accuser filed a civil lawsuit against the men after the district attorney initially declined to bring criminal charges in the case.

Former “American Idol” contestant Caleb Flynn returned to court Monday as his Ohio murder trial entered its second week. Jurors continued watching his recorded police interview, while prosecutors moved closer to completing their case.

The jury began viewing the interview Friday. In it, Flynn recounted what he said took place inside his Tipp City home before and after his wife, Ashley Flynn, was fatally shot on Feb. 16.

Prosecutors allege Flynn shot Ashley in the back of the head and then arranged the home to make it appear that an intruder had broken in. Flynn has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges.

The prosecution was also considering calling the couple’s 10- and 12-year-old daughters, who were inside the home when their mother was killed. As court resumed Monday, no final decision had been announced.

If they testify, the girls will do so by audio only, under an arrangement approved by the court.

During the portion of the interview played Monday, Flynn pointed investigators toward a stranger he said had appeared outside the family’s home the day before Ashley’s death.

Flynn said Ashley and the girls were in the living room when a vehicle pulled up and remained outside. A man eventually stepped out and approached the front porch.

“My daughter can confirm,” Flynn told investigators.

He described the man as long-haired and awkward, adding that he did not appear to be wearing clothing with a company logo. According to Flynn, the man delivered what Ashley considered a “weird” sales pitch involving an American flag.

Flynn said Ashley eventually shut the door after the man indicated he would come back later.

Flynn also described his actions before the shooting. He said the family dogs were with him as he slept on the couch, until one began shaking and scratching and woke him.

He told investigators that he checked on his daughters, tucked the younger girl back into bed and then chose to lie down beside her.

Flynn said gunfire woke him again.

“The shots woke you up?” an investigator asked.

“Yes, sir,” Flynn replied, describing the gunfire as “back-to-back” and “loud.”

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Detective Sgt. Mike Morgan later testified that Flynn told him he froze for four to six seconds before racing to the master bedroom, where he found Ashley wounded by gunfire.

The recorded interview followed two days of testimony from Flynn’s former mistress, Alleigha Botner. She described their affair and read messages they exchanged during the months leading up to Ashley’s death.

Botner testified that Flynn repeatedly discussed wanting his wife dead. In one message, he allegedly wrote that he had stayed awake until 4 a.m. “literally thinking of ways to kill her and not go to jail.”

But Flynn’s attorneys used their cross-examination to emphasize the broader context of more than 107,000 messages exchanged during the roughly year-and-a-half affair, including emotionally charged language used by Botner herself.

Botner also testified she understood Flynn’s plans for Feb. 16 to mean he intended to finally leave Ashley and seek a divorce – not kill her.

Shortly after midnight that morning, however, Flynn allegedly told Botner, “It’s happening,” followed by, “February 16th – day I’ll never forget.”

“You’re about to be free,” Botner responded.

“I choose you,” Flynn replied.

Investigators have not recovered the gun prosecutors allege was used to kill Ashley despite extensive searches. There was no eyewitness to the shooting, and testimony showed no gunshot residue was found on Flynn.

Prosecutors have several additional witnesses they plan to call as they move closer to resting their case. It remained unclear Monday morning whether Flynn’s daughters would be among them.

News Media has remained in contact with Flynn’s attorney, who declined to comment while the trial is ongoing.