Abstract
Telomere length is a prognostic biomarker for aging diseases. As it is unknown whether diet plays a role in these associations, we aimed to assess the impact of diet on telomere length. Moreover, given that telomere length is modulated by oxidative stress and inflammation, an additional goal was to evaluate whether the latter may mediate possible telomere – diet associations. Southern blot measured leukocyte telomere length and food frequency questionnaire data were compared for 2509 apparently healthy men and women (~35 to 55 years) from the Asklepios population. No significant associations were found between telomere length and overall dietary characteristics, such as dietary diversity, quality, equilibrium, and the dietary inflammatory index. Exploratory analysis of individual dietary variables revealed that a higher daily intake of deep fried potato products was associated with shorter telomeres (P = 0.002, 151 bp per 100 g/day), also in both sexes separately. Deep fried potato product consumption was also significantly associated with C-reactive protein (P = 0.032) and uric acid (P = 0.042), but not other inflammation and oxidative stress markers. These results suggest an at most limited association between overall dietary patterns and telomere length in the general population. Nevertheless, the association between telomere length and deep fried potato product intake warrants additional research.
Highlights
Chromosomal ends are distinguished from double-stranded breaks by a complex nucleoprotein structure, the telomere
Little information is available regarding the effects of general dietary patterns on telomere biology, in the general population
We aim to assess the associations between specific individual food groups and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and to evaluate whether detected diet - LTL associations may be modulated by inflammation and oxidative stress
Summary
Chromosomal ends are distinguished from double-stranded breaks by a complex nucleoprotein structure, the telomere. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that inflammation, oxidative stress and related lifestyles are associated with lower average telomere length, typically measured in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL). The exact mechanisms that involve LTL in aging diseases remain to be established, several putative lifestyle-related factors influencing telomere attrition have been proposed These include BMI (body mass index)/obesity, smoking, and physical activity[8,9,10]. The Asklepios Study on successful (cardiovascular) aging, which includes data on over 2500 men and women, provides an excellent tool to study this In this population, no associations between LTL and typical lifestyle factors as smoking, BMI, alcohol consumption and physical activity were found, most likely due to the generally healthy nature of the population. We aim to assess the associations between specific individual food groups and LTL and to evaluate whether detected diet - LTL associations may be modulated by inflammation and oxidative stress
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