Eom Jung-hwa, 56, says her body age tests at 'early 30s' — here's her secret

Singer and actor Eom Jung-hwa, 56, has revealed that a recent biological age test put her in the "early 30s" — and she has been sharing the dietary habits behind the result. Her secrets: fasting and a low-carbohydrate, low-sugar diet.

Eom appeared on KBS 1TV's morning talk show Achim Madang and JTBC's Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, where she said she has maintained a strict diet limiting carbohydrates and sugar for years. "Every time I get blood work and a physical, my biological age keeps getting younger — it's come down to the early 30s," she said.

She said she keeps carbohydrates to about 30 percent of her total diet and opts for low-sugar products for things like sauces and bread. When she craves noodles, she swaps refined wheat noodles for soy milk noodles, which are rich in plant-based protein.

Carbohydrates are a primary energy source for the brain and body, and severely restricting them can cause side effects including headaches, difficulty concentrating, chronic fatigue and muscle loss.

She also starts each morning not with coffee but with a routine of warm salt water, lemon tea and olive oil.

Fasting is another pillar of her approach to staying young.

On days when she eats a regular meal, she follows up with 18 to 20 hours of intermittent fasting to restore her body's balance.

"After changing my diet, my hormonal balance and sleep quality improved significantly," Eom said.

In practice, when the body goes without nutrients for an extended period, cells break down damaged internal proteins and waste products, recycling them as energy — a process that promotes cellular cleansing and regeneration.

Eom's low-carbohydrate, low-sugar eating habits are particularly valued for their role in anti-aging and the prevention of metabolic disease.

Excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates and simple sugars such as table sugar can trigger sharp spikes in blood glucose levels. When that happens, the body overproduces insulin, accelerating body fat accumulation while allowing chronic inflammatory compounds and advanced glycation end products to build up — speeding cellular aging.