image: Figure 1. Major dietary sources of methylxanthines and their correlations in the TwinsUK sample. (A) Schematic presenting key methylxanthines, their respective dietary sources and their derivation as secondary metabolites. (B) Correlation heatmap of coffee-related metabolites in the TwinsUK sample. (C) Bar plot representation of the Elastic-net Regression coefficients with 10-fold cross-validation of variables against GrimAgeAccel in the TwinsUK sample.
Credit: Copyright: © 2025 Saad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
“Our findings indicate that the reported beneficial links between theobromine intake on health and ageing extend to the molecular epigenetic level in humans.”
BUFFALO, NY — December 16, 2025 — A new research paper was published in Aging-US on December 10, 2025, titled “Theobromine is associated with slower epigenetic ageing.”
In this study, led by Ramy Saad from King’s College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, alongside Jordana T. Bell from King’s College London, researchers found that higher levels of theobromine, a natural compound found in cocoa, are associated with slower biological aging in humans. The findings suggest that theobromine may support healthy aging.
Epigenetic aging refers to biological changes that affect how genes function over time. It is measured using blood-based markers such as DNA methylation and telomere length, which together provide a more accurate picture of aging than chronological age.
In this work, researchers analyzed data from two large European studies. In 509 women from the TwinsUK cohort, they found that higher blood levels of theobromine were associated with slower aging, especially based on GrimAge, an epigenetic clock that predicts the risk of age-related disease and early death. The results were confirmed in 1,160 men and women from the German KORA study.
“We initially tested for the association between six metabolites found in coffee and cocoa, and epigenetic measures of ageing in blood samples from 509 healthy females from the TwinsUK cohort (median age = 59.8, IQR = 12.81, BMI = 25.35).“
Importantly, theobromine’s effects were independent of related compounds such as caffeine. Even after adjusting for these other substances and different lifestyle factors, the association with slower aging remained strong. The study also associated higher theobromine levels with longer telomeres, another marker of healthy aging.
While theobromine is commonly found in cocoa and chocolate, the study does not suggest increasing chocolate intake. However, it highlights the potential of everyday dietary components such as theobromine to influence aging. These findings support growing evidence that certain plant-based compounds may play a role in promoting long-term health. By identifying a connection between theobromine and slower biological aging, the study opens new directions for research into nutritional strategies for healthy aging.
Paper DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206344
Corresponding authors: Ramy Saad – ramy.saad@kcl.ac.uk; Jordana T. Bell – jordana.bell@kcl.ac.uk
Abstract video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0P1USM8L6E
Keywords: aging, theobromine, epigenetic aging, DNA methylation, metabolomics, nutrition
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Journal
Aging-US
Method of Research
News article
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Theobromine is associated with slower epigenetic ageing
Article Publication Date
10-Dec-2025
COI Statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this study.