Abstract
Diet and dietary habits are major determinants of human telomere length. Telomerase activity is affected mostly by oxidative stress and inflammation. However, the association of telomerase activity with dietary quality indices has not been evaluated before. In the current work, we aimed to test the association of telomerase activity with dietary antioxidant quality score (DAQ), dietary inflammatory index and dietary patterns in patients who were candidate for coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). In the current cross-sectional study, 454 candidates for the CABG were enrolled from Tehran Heart Center-Coronary Outcome Measurement (THC-COM) cohort. Laboratory measurements included Hb-A1C, serum lipid profile, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, hematocrit, lipoprotein (LP)-a, telomerase activity, serum vitamin D and C-reactive protein. Dietary status was measured by semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire, and dietary indices were calculated. Dietary patterns were extracted by factor analysis method. High telomerase activity was associated with lower prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI) (P = 0.04), high dietary vitamin E and high total dietary antioxidant quality scores. Telomerase activity in top quartile of neo-traditional dietary pattern was higher than other quartiles (P = 0.021). No significant association between telomerase activity and other dietary patterns was obtained. Higher telomerase activity was also associated with higher serum creatinine and lower LP-(a) concentrations (P < 0.05). To our findings, higher telomerase activity was associated with higher DAQ and lower MI prevalence. It seems that adherence to healthy diet increases serum telomerase activity and reduced telomerase concentration is associated with increased cardio-metabolic risk factors. Moreover, adherence to neo-traditional pattern with higher intake of low-fat dairy products was associated with higher telomerase activity. Level V: A well-designed observational cross-sectional study.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
