The findings, reported by Chinese language researchers within the journal Frontiers in Vitamin, present solely correlation and never causation, and due to this fact some warning should be exercised when decoding the info.
Nonetheless, this isn’t the primary time that researchers have used information from the Nationwide Well being and Vitamin Examination Survey (NHANES) to discover a possible anti-aging profit for carotenoids. A 2016 study indicated that doubling ranges of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin was related to 2% longer telomeres. This research didn’t restrict its evaluation to chubby and overweight topics.
Another study published earlier this year linked lutein/zeaxanthin and beta-carotene to enhancements in a variety of organic ageing indices, however that research didn’t assess telomere size.
“Our research discovered that growing serum carotenoid ranges had been considerably related to longer telomere lengths in chubby or overweight U.S. populations,” the Chinese language researchers wrote. “The rise in carotenoid ranges had a extra important impact on telomere size in overweight people in comparison with chubby people.”
Curiously, they didn’t discover a relationship between carotenoids concentrations and telomere size in non-overweight or non-obese people. No advantages had been related to ranges of alpha-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin and trans-lycopene.
Hallmarks of ageing
Telomeres, DNA sequences on the finish of chromosomes that shorten as cells replicate and age, don’t at all times correlate with chronological age, and there’s proof to counsel telomere shortening could also be modifiable by way of life components.
The ageing and lifespan of regular, wholesome cells are linked to the so-called telomere shortening mechanism, which limits cells to a hard and fast variety of divisions. Throughout cell replication, the telomeres operate by making certain the cell’s chromosomes don’t fuse with one another or rearrange, which may result in most cancers.
Elizabeth Blackburn, a telomere pioneer on the College of California San Francisco, likened telomeres to the ends of shoelaces, with out which the lace would unravel.
With every replication the telomeres shorten, and when the telomeres are completely consumed, the cells are destroyed (apoptosis). Telomere shortening or attrition was listed as one of many 9 hallmarks of ageing in a seminal paper published in Cell in 2013 by Carlos López-Otín et al. This record has since been expanded to 12 hallmarks of aging, outlined in a 2023 review by Professor López-Otín.
Oxidative stress and persistent irritation are reported to extend telomere shortening, each of that are exacerbated by weight problems.
“Due to this fact, overweight people could have shorter somatic telomere lengths and are extra inclined to untimely ageing and diminished cell lifespan,” the Chinese language researchers famous. “Our findings help this pattern, with decrease BMI related to longer telomeres throughout all populations included.”
Research particulars
The brand new evaluation included information from 2,353 chubby or overweight individuals taking part within the 2001–2002 NHANES and located that each unit improve in beta-carotene ranges was related to will increase in telomere size of 1.7 base pairs (bp) and a pair of.6 bp in chubby and overweight people, respectively.
“This investigation signifies that larger serum β-carotene concentrations are linked with prolonged telomere size in chubby and overweight populations in america,” the researchers concluded. “These findings warrant additional validation by potential research.”
Supply: Frontiers in Vitamin, Quantity 11. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1479994. “Relationship between serum carotenoids and telomere size in chubby or overweight people”. Authors: J. Wang, et al.
