How food affects aging, sleep, skin and energy
How Poma's Pace of Aging, Sleep, Youth and Energy scores work, and what research says about food and aging, sleep, skin and energy. The scores are AI estimates for general wellness.
What is Poma's Pace of Aging, and what is a good score?
Poma's Pace of Aging is a daily estimate, such as 0.92x, of how your meals may affect aging compared with a typical Western diet for someone with a similar profile. Each day starts at 1.0x, and the estimated effect of each meal you log moves the figure down (slower) or up (faster). Lower is better: under 0.90x is the Optimal zone, 0.90x to 0.96x is slower than typical, 0.97x to 1.03x is about the typical pace, and 1.04x or higher is faster. The Insights tab shows the trend. Poma uses no blood test or wearable data and does not measure biological age. WHOOP's Pace of Aging and the DunedinPACE blood test are separate measures with a similar name.
Read more: What is your Pace of Aging, and how is it calculated
What do Poma's Sleep, Youth and Energy scores mean, and what is a good score?
Poma's Sleep, Youth and Energy scores are daily estimates from 0 to 100 of how your meals may affect your sleep, your skin, hair and appearance, and your energy, and higher is better. Each day starts from a set baseline, and each meal you log moves the scores up or down. A score of 90 or more counts as Optimal. They are based on your meals and profile, with no data from a watch, ring or sleep tracker. Sleep weighs things like caffeine after lunch, late alcohol and heavy meals near bedtime. Youth weighs collagen support, glycation from sugar, hydration and antioxidants. Energy looks at how meals may affect blood sugar swings, iron intake and gut diversity.
How does Poma calculate its aging, sleep, skin and energy scores?
Poma's daily scores add up AI estimates for each ingredient you log that day, so each meal moves your Pace of Aging, Sleep, Youth and Energy from where the day started. For each ingredient, Google Gemini AI judges the nutrients it brings, such as fiber, omega-3s or added sugar, how much you ate, how it was cooked and what time you ate it, so the same food can score differently at breakfast and late in the evening. It also weighs your earlier meals that day and your profile, such as age, sex, activity level, diet and goals. The scores are AI estimates for general wellness.
Does Poma show a micronutrient breakdown of my meals?
Yes, Poma gives a micronutrient breakdown of each meal in plain words, naming the nutrients behind its effect on your aging, sleep, skin and energy. It does not calculate or list vitamin or mineral amounts in milligrams or percent of daily value, and it gives no daily micronutrient totals. After a meal is analyzed, tap its aging, Sleep, Youth or Energy card to read a paragraph on why the meal had that effect. Then tap the ingredients that mattered most to read why each one had its effect, often naming nutrients such as omega-3s, fiber, polyphenols, vitamins or added sugar, put in the context of your profile and your day.
Why is my Pace of Aging high in Poma, and how do I lower it?
Your Pace of Aging in Poma is usually high when the day's meals include processed meat, refined sugar or alcohol, and it goes down when you log more meals rich in fiber, omega-3s and polyphenols, which its AI rates as slowing aging. To see what moved it, open a meal and tap its aging card, which explains the effect and ranks the ingredients behind it. Tapping the Pace of Aging gauge on Home opens four cards, such as Inflammation Control and Muscle Preservation, each with a note and a tip for the day. The Insights tab shows your average over weeks and months.
Which foods slow aging, and which speed it up?
Research links diets rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and unsaturated fats with healthier aging, and diets high in sugary drinks, sodium, trans fats and red or processed meat with less healthy aging. A 2025 study in Nature Medicine followed 105,015 US nurses and health professionals for up to 30 years and found that those whose diets most closely matched healthy eating patterns were more likely to reach age 70 free of major chronic disease and with good physical, mental and cognitive health. The WHO says healthy diets help protect against diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. Sleep, physical activity, smoking and genes matter too. Poma estimates how each meal you log may affect your Pace of Aging.
Read more: Which foods make you age faster, and which slow it down
Do vitamins or supplements slow aging?
Good-quality research has not shown that vitamins or other supplements slow aging. In 2022, the US Preventive Services Task Force found the evidence insufficient to judge whether multivitamins, or most single and paired nutrient supplements, lower the risk of heart disease or cancer in adults who are not pregnant, and it recommended against beta-carotene and vitamin E supplements for that purpose. It noted that beta-carotene was linked with more lung cancer in people who smoke or have been exposed to asbestos. This advice does not cover pregnancy, children or people with a known nutritional deficiency, where a doctor may recommend a supplement. Poma lets you log supplements alongside your meals.
How late can I drink coffee without hurting my sleep?
Research suggests having your last coffee about 9 hours before bed, so around 2 pm if you go to bed at 11 pm. A 2023 review in Sleep Medicine Reviews found that caffeine cut total sleep time by about 45 minutes and concluded that a cup of coffee with about 107 mg of caffeine should be drunk at least 8.8 hours before bedtime. EFSA notes that a single 100 mg dose may affect sleep in some adults, especially close to bedtime, and puts safe intake for healthy adults at up to 400 mg a day, or 200 mg a day in pregnancy. Poma's Sleep score counts caffeine more heavily the closer it is to bedtime.
How long before bed should I stop eating?
Research suggests finishing your last large meal about 3 hours before bed. In a 2020 study of 793 university students, eating within 3 hours of bedtime was linked with a higher chance of waking during the night, and a 2022 study in the British Journal of Nutrition linked eating or drinking within an hour of bedtime with more time awake after first falling asleep, though also with longer sleep overall. The NHS advises people with heartburn not to eat within 3 or 4 hours of going to bed. These studies show links, and needs vary between people. Poma's Sleep score counts heavy meals more against sleep the closer they are to bedtime.
Read more: Meal timing and your body clock
What should I eat before bed to sleep better?
Research links meals with more fiber and less sugar and saturated fat with better sleep. In a small 2016 study of 26 adults in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, more fiber was linked with more deep sleep, more saturated fat with less deep sleep, and more sugar with more arousals from sleep. A 2020 review in Nutrients linked foods containing tryptophan, melatonin and other plant compounds, such as cherries, with better sleep. The NHS suggests avoiding caffeine in the evening if you have trouble sleeping. Poma's Sleep score weighs what you eat along with meal size and timing, caffeine and alcohol.
Read more: What to eat for deeper, better sleep
Does alcohol affect sleep?
Yes, alcohol can help you fall asleep faster, but research links it with more disrupted sleep later in the night. A 2013 review in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research found that alcohol shortened the time it took to fall asleep at all doses and made the first half of the night more settled, while sleep was more disrupted in the second half. Alcohol also delayed the first REM sleep at all doses and reduced total REM sleep at moderate and high doses. The NHS notes that you sleep less deeply after drinking alcohol.
Why am I tired after eating?
Feeling sleepy after a meal, especially after lunch, is common and partly follows the body clock, and a high-carbohydrate meal can make it stronger. A 2005 review by sleep researcher Timothy Monk found that the early-afternoon dip in alertness can happen even when people skip lunch, and that a high-carbohydrate lunch makes it worse. The NHS suggests regular meals and healthy snacks every 3 to 4 hours in place of a large meal less often, and notes that even mild dehydration can make you tired. Poma's Energy score looks at how each meal may affect your energy, including likely blood sugar swings.
Read more: Blood sugar 101: spikes, crashes, and steady energy
What should I eat for steady energy?
For steady energy, base your meals on higher-fiber starchy foods, such as whole-grain bread, pasta and rice or potatoes with their skin, and keep sugary foods and drinks to a minimum. The NHS says starchy foods are a good source of energy and that higher-fiber options can provide a slow release of energy. The 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise prioritizing fiber-rich whole grains, sharply reducing refined carbohydrates such as white bread and packaged breakfast foods, and avoiding sugar-sweetened drinks, including energy drinks. The guidelines also say one meal should contain no more than 10 g of added sugars.
Read more: How to eat for steady energy and avoid the afternoon crash
Does sugar age your skin?
Research suggests that a diet high in sugar may add to skin aging through a process called glycation. A 2010 review in Clinics in Dermatology describes how sugars such as glucose and fructose bind to the collagen and elastin that keep skin firm and elastic, forming advanced glycation end products, or AGEs. The review notes that this happens faster when blood sugar is high and that sun exposure makes it worse. The WHO recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of daily energy, and below 5% for extra benefit.
Read more: Advanced glycation end products: the cooking methods that age you
Which foods help your skin look younger?
Research links diets with more vitamin C and certain healthy fats with fewer visible signs of skin aging. A 2007 study of 4,025 US women aged 40 to 74 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that higher vitamin C intake was linked with less wrinkled skin, and more linoleic acid, a fat found in nuts, seeds and vegetable oils, with less dryness and thinning of the skin. The same study linked more fat and carbohydrate overall with more wrinkling. It was observational, so it cannot show cause and effect. Poma's Youth score reflects how each meal may affect your skin, hair and appearance.
Read more: The best foods for healthy, youthful skin
Do dairy and sugar cause acne?
Cow's milk and sugary, high-glycemic foods have been linked with acne in some studies, but the evidence is limited. The American Academy of Dermatology says that all types of cow's milk, including whole, low-fat and skim, have been linked to acne, while no studies have found that yogurt or cheese lead to more breakouts. It adds that small studies suggest a low-glycemic diet may reduce acne, that other studies found no connection, and that more research is needed. The academy suggests noticing whether a food seems to trigger breakouts, and notes that diet is only one part of keeping skin clear. A dermatologist can help with acne that lasts.
Do collagen supplements work for skin?
Good-quality research has not shown that collagen supplements improve skin aging. A 2025 meta-analysis of 23 randomized trials in the American Journal of Medicine found better skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkles when all trials were pooled, but no significant effect in trials without pharmaceutical funding or in high-quality trials, and concluded that there is currently no clinical evidence to support collagen supplements for skin aging. Your body builds its own collagen from the protein you eat, and a 2017 review in Nutrients notes that vitamin C is needed for that process. Poma's Youth score weighs collagen support from the food you log.
Read more: Collagen: can food really support your skin's scaffolding?