-Akash Pramanik, D.Y.Patil Medical College, Kolhapur
Telomeres are the specific DNA-structure found at both the ends of the chromosome which protects it from degradation and inter-chromosomal fusion. But telomeres shorten with each DNA replication and gradually with time, it leads to chromosomal degradation and cell death. The rate of telomere shortening may indicate the pace of aging so telomeres are considered as a biological marker for age. Earlier studies have shown strong co-relations between ultra-processed foods and hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, Depression, Obesity and, some cancers too. These conditions are often age-related so far as they are linked to oxidative stress and inflammation which are known to influence the Telomere length.
So a group of scientists led by Maria Bes Rastrollo and Amelia Marti, the University of Navarra in Spain wanted to explore a suspected interlink between Ultra-processed food and Telomere shortening. So they conducted a cross-sectional study with 886 participants (645 males and 241 females) aged 59-91years recruited from the SUN project. Telomere lengths were measured from the saliva samples by real-time qPCR (quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction) at baseline and UPF consumption was collected using a 136-item questionnaire. The scientists then explored the association between consumption of energy-adjusted ultra-processed foods (into four groups that are low, medium-low, medium-high, high) and the risk of having short telomeres(less than 20 percentile of the population) using logistics regression methods.
Results reported that those having the highest UPF consumption had almost twice the risk of having short telomeres compared with the lowest consumption of UPF.
It also showed that chances of having short telomeres increased significantly i.e. there was an increase in the telomere length shortening by 29%, 40 % and, 82 % in medium-low, medium-high, and, high UPF consumption groups respectively.
The study also showed that consumption of less Mediterranean diet and more of the dairy products, processed meat, pastries and, cookies have led to the high UPF consumption levels. They also revealed that those who had a high UPF consumption rate had a family history of age-related disorders like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and they also had a knack of snacking between meals. They also consumed more saturated fats, cholesterol, fast food, processed meats and ate less of vegetables, fruit, olive oils, herbs, nuts and, whole grains (The Mediterranean diet).
Hence the researchers concluded a strong association of having shorter telomeres with a higher intake of UPF (>3 servings/day) in an elderly Spanish population of the SUN project.
Source:
1) The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 111, Issue 6, June 2020, Pages 1259–1266,
2) Shammas MA. Telomeres, lifestyle, cancer, and aging. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2011 Jan;14(1):28-34. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e32834121b1. PMID: 21102320; PMCID: PMC3370421.
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