Can Theobromine Slow Epigenetic Aging in Humans? Dr. Ricardo Costeira | Aging
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In this episode of the Longevity & Aging Series (S4, E3), Dr. Ricardo Costeira of King’s College London joins host Dr. Yuan Zhao of Queen Mary University of London to discuss a research paper he co-authored in Volume 17, Issue 12 of Aging, titled “Theobromine is associated with slower epigenetic ageing.” @kingscollegelondon @QMUL
#aging #interview #theobromine #chocolate #nutrition #DNAMethylation #epigenetics #openaccess #openscience #peerreviewed #journal #publishing #meded
DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206344
Corresponding authors - Ramy Saad - ramy.saad@kcl.ac.uk, and Jordana T. Bell - jordana.bell@kcl.ac.uk
Longevity & Aging Series: https://www.aging-us.com/longevity
About Dr. Yuan Zhao: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/staff/yuan-zhao.html
Abstract video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0P1USM8L6E
Abstract
Theobromine, a commonly consumed dietary alkaloid derived from cocoa, has been linked to extended lifespan in model organisms and to health benefits in humans. We examined associations between circulating levels of theobromine intake, measured using serum metabolomics, and blood-based epigenetic markers of biological ageing in two European human population-based cohorts. Serum theobromine levels were significantly associated with reduced epigenetic age acceleration, as measured by GrimAge (p less than 2e-7) and DNAmTL (p less than 0.001) in 509 individuals from the TwinsUK cohort, and both signals replicated in 1,160 individuals from the KORA cohort (p = 7.2e-08 and p = 0.007, respectively). Sensitivity analyses including covariates of other cocoa and coffee metabolites suggest that the effect is specific to theobromine. Our findings indicate that the reported beneficial links between theobromine intake on health and ageing extend to the molecular epigenetic level in humans.
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Keywords - aging, theobromine, epigenetic aging, DNA methylation, metabolomics, nutrition
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Aging Journal · 19 min · Source published: 2026-04-14
Added to Harbor: 10/23/2026
Original on YouTube ↗Automatically categorized source. Creator statements are not an independent evidence review or personal medical guidance.