Minimal changes in telomere length after a 12-week dietary intervention with almonds in mid-age to older, overweight and obese Australians: results of a randomised clinical trial

Minimal changes in telomere length after a 12-week dietary intervention with almonds in mid-age to older, overweight and obese Australians: results of a randomised clinical trial

Diet is a modifiable risk factor for chronic disease and a potential modulator of telomere length (TL). The study aim was to investigate associations between diet quality and TL in Australian adults after a 12-week dietary intervention with an almond-enriched diet (AED). Participants (overweight/obe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of nutrition 2022-03, Vol.127 (6), p.872-884
Main Authors: Ward, Susan J., Hill, Alison M., Buckley, Jonathan D., Banks, Siobhan, Dhillon, Varinderpal S., Holman, Stacey L., Morrison, Janna L., Coates, Alison M.
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Adequacy
Adult
Adults
Age
Aging
Australia
Blood
Body mass index
Body weight
Carbohydrates
Chronic illnesses
Clinical trials
Diet
Disease
Flavonoids
Food
Food quality
Health risks
Human and Clinical Nutrition
Humans
Inflammation
Leukocytes (neutrophilic)
Lymphocytes
Neutrophils
Nutrients
Obesity
Overweight
Oxidative stress
Prunus dulcis
Quality assessment
Risk analysis
Risk factors
Senescence
Sleep
Telomerase
Telomere
Telomeres
Vitamin E
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Diet is a modifiable risk factor for chronic disease and a potential modulator of telomere length (TL). The study aim was to investigate associations between diet quality and TL in Australian adults after a 12-week dietary intervention with an almond-enriched diet (AED). Participants (overweight/obese, 50–80 years) were randomised to an AED (n 62) or isoenergetic nut-free diet (NFD, n 62) for 12 weeks. Diet quality was assessed using a Dietary Guideline Index (DGI), applied to weighed food records, that consists of ten components reflecting adequacy, variety and quality of core food components and discretionary choices within the diet. TL was measured by quantitative PCR in samples of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and whole blood. There were no significant associations between DGI scores and TL at baseline. Diet quality improved with AED and decreased with NFD after 12 weeks (change from baseline AED + 9·8 %, NFD − 14·3 %; P < 0·001). TL increased in neutrophils (+9·6 bp, P = 0·009) and decreased in whole blood, to a trivial extent (–12·1 bp, P = 0·001), and was unchanged in lymphocytes. Changes did not differ between intervention groups. There were no significant relationships between changes in diet quality scores and changes in lymphocyte, neutrophil or whole blood TL. The inclusion of almonds in the diet improved diet quality scores but had no impact on TL mid-age to older Australian adults. Future studies should investigate the impact of more substantial dietary changes over longer periods of time.
ISSN:0007-1145
1475-2662