Telomere Study

Cross-Sectional Analysis of Telomere Length in People 33-80 Years of Age:

•Demographic data showed that on average, the control group was younger than the supplement group even though the two groups were age-matched (Table 1).

•Participants in the supplement group were heavy supplement users who took more than 12 supplements at least 4 days per week for at least 10 years; much higher than the minimum requirements stipulated in the inclusion criteria.

•Supplement group had significantly higher total iron, total iron binding capacity and fasting glucose levels than those in the control group; however, these values were within normal range for both groups (Table 1).

•No significant difference in blood triglyceride concentration or cholesterol ratio was observed between the control and supplement group (Table 1).

•Supplement group had significantly greater T/S ratio compared to control group (Fig. 1).

•Women had longer telomeres than men in the control group, but this trend was reversed in the supplement group (Fig. 1).

•T/S ratio of the supplement group was 11.2% greater than that of the control group (p<0.0001). Supplementation resulted in a greater treatment effect in men vs. women (p<0.005) (Table 2).

•Linear regression indicated that the rate of change in T/S ratio was reduced by 40% in the supplement group vs control (Fig. 2). CONCLUSIONS

•The results of this cross-sectional study suggest that dietary supplementation significantly attenuated telomere shortening.

•Longitudinal studies are warranted to further explore the link between nutritional supplementation and healthy aging in the context of reduced rate of telomere shortening.

View the entire study by opening the attached file below.