Telomeres, inflammation and nutritional supplements

reference

tsoukalas d, fragkiadaki p, docea ao, et al. Association of nutritional supplements with longer telomer length. int. J. Mol. Med . 2019; 44 (1): 218-226.

objective

to determine whether dietary supplements can influence the telomer length

draft

Intervention study

participant

forty -seven healthy outpatient patients (aged 40 to 55) without disease history who visited a private clinic in Athens, Greece, for a routine examination. People with a history of a chronic medical illness were excluded. All participants had never taken dietary supplements before the study. The 16 participants in the intervention group received nutritional supplements; The 31 in the comparison/control group did not receive any dietary supplements.

Intervention

The intervention for nutritional supplements included the following:

• 1 capsule with a mixture of vitamins, including vitamin C, E, K (as Mk-7), b 1 4,000 IE vitamin D (2,000 IE as drops and 2,000 IE in capsule form)
• 2 capsules omega 3-6-9 combination formula
• 4 capsules of an antioxidant formulation of vitamins and minerals (no secondary plant substances)
• Probiotics (with certain tribes of lactobacillus spp and bifidobacterium spp ) in combination with prebiotics
• Coenzyme Q10 (COQ10) as ubiquinol
• l-glutamine combined with oligofructose (FOS)

target parameter

quantitative fluorescent-in-situ hybridization (Q-Fish) was used to measure the telomer length in leukocytes at the beginning and after 6 to 12 months.

important knowledge

Regardless of gender and age, the nutritional supplement group experienced a statistically significant extension of the telomer length compared to the control group. There was an average of 10%extension of the telomer length in the supplementary group ( p <0.05).

practice implications

This study is a nice example of the positive effects that dietary supplements can have on health and aging, but it is only part of the story. Telomeric reduction, inflammation, chronic diseases and accelerated aging are all connected.

In this study, it is plausible that the nutritional supplements used in the intervention group contributed to protecting the telomer length over the anti -inflammatory path. Interestingly, there are many ways to influence both the length of telomer and chronic inflammation, including nutrition, physical activity and sleep, to name just a few. It has been shown that all of these strategies influence both the length of the telomer

We don't see [Telomeres] more than mere caps at the ends of chromosomes; We now know that they are complex nucleoproteins that play an active role in protecting patients from the diseases of aging.

For example, compliance with the Mediterranean diet is associated with longer telomers. This was shown by the population -based study published in 2014 with a cohort of the Nurse 'Health Study The British Medical Journal . ^{4 boccardi et al. In 2013 also published data that showed that a high compliance with the Mediterranean diet not only correlated with longer telomers, but was also associated with higher telomerase activity. 5 It is worth mentioning that the present study did not measure the telomerase activity, and the authors lead this as restriction.}

During nutrition, both directions are: an unhealthy diet is associated with shorter telomers. Studies have shown that the consumption of sugar -containing lemonades correlates with shorter telomeres. ^{6.7 This is not surprising, since research creates a clear connection between unhealthy nutrition and increased internal inflammation.}

physical activity was also associated with longer telomers and protection against many age -related diseases. Further research is required to determine the optimal level of physical activity in relation to the protection of telomeres. However, examinations show that physical activity regulates the genetic expression that is involved in the homeostasis of the telomeres. ^{9 We also know that the telomer length in people who are sedentary is shorter, as a randomized, controlled study from 2014 shows that with physical activity in older people dealt with. 10}

Of course, the combination of healthy nutrition and physical activity can promote weight loss, which is demonstrably also extended. Lack of sleep can also have a negative impact on telomer length, inflammation and the risk of a chronic disease. In 2012, results of the Whitehall II cohort study, in which 434 healthy adults with an average age of 63.3 years took part that the telomer length of the male participants, who only slept 5 hours a night, was shorter than those who slept 7 or more per night.

In the past ten years, research has significantly changed our understanding of telomeres. We no longer see them just as caps at the ends of chromosomes; We now know that these are complex nucleoproteins that play an active role in protecting ourselves from the diseases of aging. Telomer research also draws a perfect picture of how an integrative approach can make an important difference clinically. By combining nutrition, lifestyle and nutritional supplements, integrative practitioners can help patients reduce inflammation and at the same time increase the likelihood of healthy aging. This latest study complements a growing list of integrative approaches that can help to extend telomeres.

Study restrictions

This study has 2 essential restrictions:

1. study size . Further research with a larger patient population is justified.
2. intervention size . Such a comprehensive intervention raises questions of patient compliance, the costs for the patient and the inability to identify exactly which nutrient or which group of nutrients can influence the length of telomer.