Habitually eating takeout food accelerates biological aging and partially cancels out the health benefits gained from exercise, according to a new study. The findings underscore the importance of dietary management, as the effects appear even in people with normal body weight.
According to the medical community on the 10th, researchers at Peking University Third Hospital in China recently analyzed data from approximately 43,000 British adults (average age 56) and found that people who frequently ate takeout food had a biological age about three months higher on average than those who cooked their own meals.
Biological age refers to an actual indicator of physical aging measured through blood tests and other methods, which differs from chronological age. The takeout-consuming group showed a faster decline in liver, kidney and immune functions, and researchers noted that if such changes accumulate over the long term, they could lead to a shortened lifespan.
"At the individual level, three months may seem small, but at the population level, it is a meaningful figure," said Dr. Nan Li, who led the study. "Takeout consumption shows a clear link with accelerated biological aging."
The researchers estimated that this aging acceleration raises mortality risk by about 2.2 to 2.7 percent. The study also confirmed that takeout consumption offsets a significant portion of the anti-aging benefits gained through exercise, equivalent to about 16 percent of the aging impact of smoking.
Notably, these effects appeared regardless of obesity status. This means that even people within a normal weight range can suffer negative health consequences from frequent takeout consumption. The researchers identified high calories, excessive fat, sugar and sodium, and a lack of dietary fiber and vitamins as the main problem factors in takeout food.
Eating alone and quickly was also cited as an additional factor that induces overeating. Chemicals such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that can be released from plastic containers were mentioned as potential risk factors. These elements can collectively disrupt gut microbiome balance and promote vascular inflammation, raising the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Dependence on takeout food is also rising rapidly in Korea. According to the Korean Statistical Information Service, the online food delivery usage rate based on delivery apps more than quadrupled from 7.6 percent in 2018 to 31.7 percent in 2024, while the use of delivery agency services rose from 5.4 percent to 29.3 percent over the same period. The study was published in the international journal BMC Public Health.
