Abstract
The relationship between fiber intake and telomere length was evaluated using a cross-sectional design and an NHANES sample of 5674 U.S. adults. Another purpose was to test the impact of potential confounders on the association. Fiber consumption was measured using a 24 h recall and telomere length was indexed using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Overall, the U.S. adults had low fiber intake (median: 6.6 g per 1000 kcal)—less than one-half the recommendation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. With age, gender, race, housing status, and misreported energy intake controlled, the relationship between fiber intake per 1000 kcal and telomere length was linear (F = 9.5, p = 0.0045). Specifically, for each 1 g increment in fiber intake per 1000 kcal, telomeres were 8.3 base pairs longer. Because each additional year of chronological age was associated with telomeres that were 15.5 base pairs shorter, results suggest that a 10 g increase in fiber intake per 1000 kcal would correspond with telomeres that are 83 base pairs longer. On average, this would equate to 5.4 fewer years of biologic aging (83 ÷ 15.5). With smoking, BMI, alcohol use, and physical activity controlled, as well as the other covariates, each 10 g increment in fiber accounted for telomeres that were 67 base pairs longer (F = 7.6, p = 0.0101), a biologic aging difference of about 4.3 years. In conclusion, significant fiber consumption accounts for longer telomeres and less biologic aging than lower levels of fiber intake.
Highlights
Dietary fiber has a significant impact on health and aging
The main objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the association between dietary fiber intake and leukocyte telomere length in a randomly selected National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES) (1999–2002)
Given there was a difference of 93 base pairs between the lowest and highest quartiles of fiber intake, with age, gender, race, housing status, and misreported energy intake controlled, the findings indicate that adults with High fiber consumption have a cell aging advantage of about 6.0 years over those with low intakes (93 ÷ 15.5)
Summary
Numerous studies show that individuals who consume high levels of fiber live longer and experience less disease than their counterparts [1,2]. Risk of disease and premature death decreases. Among the key recommendations of the recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2015–2020), individuals are encouraged to consume foods that are nutrient dense and “retain naturally occurring components, such as dietary fiber” [3]. The Guidelines define fiber as nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin that are intact in plants and present naturally in foods. According to the Guidelines, fiber can be extracted from natural sources or synthetically manufactured and added to foods. The Guidelines recommend the intake of at least 14 g of fiber per 1000 kcal [3]. In the United States, intake is only about one-half that amount (see Table 1)
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