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Nutrigenomics and molecular nutrition

Leukocyte telomere length and its relation to food and nutrient intake in an elderly population

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 66, pages 1290–1294 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives:

Shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with several chronic diseases, but only a few studies have assessed the association between dietary factors and LTL. Our objective was to study the association between fats, fruits, vegetables and LTL in a cross-sectional study design. We hypothesized that intakes of fruits and vegetables would be positively associated with LTL and that intakes of fats, and especially saturated fatty acids (SFAs), would be negatively associated with LTL.

Subjects/methods:

LTL was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in 1942 men and women aged 57–70 years from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. We assessed the whole diet by a validated semiquantitative 128-item food-frequency questionnaire.

Results:

In general, there were only a few significant results. However, total fat and SFA intake (P=0.04 and 0.01, respectively) were inversely associated with LTL in men adjusting for age and energy intake. In women, vegetable intake was positively associated with LTL (P=0.05). Men consuming the most butter and least fruits had significantly shorter telomeres than those consuming the lowest amounts of butter and highest amounts of fruits (P=0.05). We found no association between LTL and body mass index, waist–hip ratio, smoking, physical activity or educational attainment.

Conclusions:

In this cross-sectional study of elderly men and women, there were only a few statistically significant effects of diet, but in general they support the hypothesis that fat and vegetable intakes were associated with LTL.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by grants from the Academy of Finland (SM: Grants 136895 and 141005; EK: Grants 127437, 129306, 130326 and 134791), the Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, the Finnish Diabetes Research Foundation, the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, Signe o Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, the Juho Vainio Foundation, Samfundet Folkhälsan, Finska Läkaresällskapet, Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award from the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, Finnish Foundation for Pediatric Research, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chronic Disease Prevention, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

    A-MK Tiainen, S Männistö, P A Blomstedt, E Moltchanova, M-M Perälä, N E Kaartinen, E Kajantie & J G Eriksson

  2. Unit of General Practice, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

    A-MK Tiainen & J G Eriksson

  3. Mathematics and Statistics Department, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    E Moltchanova

  4. Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    E Kajantie

  5. Department of Medical Genetics, Research Programs Unit, Molecular Neurology, Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    L Kananen & I Hovatta

  6. Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

    I Hovatta

  7. Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    J G Eriksson

  8. Vasa Central Hospital, Vasa, Finland

    J G Eriksson

  9. Folkhälsan Research Centre, Helsinki, Finland

    J G Eriksson

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  1. A-MK Tiainen
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Correspondence to A-MK Tiainen.

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Additional information

Contributors: A-MKT wrote the first draft of the manuscript; JGE and SM contributed to the conception and design of the study and participated in the critical revision of the manuscript; PAB and EM performed the statistical analysis; EK, M-MP and NEK participated in the preparation of the data; and LK and IH performed the telomere length measurements. All authors participated in the revision of the manuscript and agreed on the final version.

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Tiainen, AM., Männistö, S., Blomstedt, P. et al. Leukocyte telomere length and its relation to food and nutrient intake in an elderly population. Eur J Clin Nutr 66, 1290–1294 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.143

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