Chapter 2 - Fatty acids and telomeres in humans

Abstract

There is much interest on the impact of nutrition on integrity of the genome and its stability because of the deleterious health consequences of DNA damage. One of the main components of the genome is telomeres which are TTAGGG repeats at the ends of chromosomes which are essential for maintenance of chromosome stability by preventing telomere end fusions. This important function of telomeres is impaired when either the telomere sequence length becomes critically shortened or if it is damaged by adducts caused by reactive metabolites. Several studies have explored the association of fatty acids with telomere length in humans but, so far, no clear picture has emerged regarding whether specific dietary fatty acids have a substantially significant impact on telomere integrity and function. Furthermore, knowledge on potential mechanisms is speculative due to a paucity of well-designed studies and great heterogeneity between studies. We provide some suggestions on improving observational and randomized controlled study design to make progress in this field.