Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Telomere Length in a Random Sample of 5448 U.S. Adults

The relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and telomere length was examined using a cross-sectional design and an NHANES random sample of 5448 U.S. adults. Fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption was assessed using a 24 h recall, and telomere length, an index of cellular aging, was measur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrients 2021-04, Vol.13 (5), p.1415
Main Author: Tucker, Larry A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adults
Age
Age Factors
Aging
antioxidant
Base pairs
carbohydrate
Cardiovascular disease
Data collection
diet
Female
Fruit
Fruits
Humans
inflammation
Legumes
Male
Middle Aged
Mortality
NHANES
Nutrition
Polymerase chain reaction
Telomerase
telomere
Telomere - metabolism
Telomere Homeostasis
Telomeres
Variables
Vegetables
Yeast
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Summary:The relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and telomere length was examined using a cross-sectional design and an NHANES random sample of 5448 U.S. adults. Fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption was assessed using a 24 h recall, and telomere length, an index of cellular aging, was measured using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Telomere length was linearly related to F&V intake when combined (F = 22.7, < 0.0001) and also when separated as fruit (F = 7.2, < 0.0121) or vegetables (F = 15.4, < 0.0005), after adjusting for covariates. Specifically, telomeres were 27.8 base pairs longer for each 100 g (3.5 ounces) of F&V consumed. Because each additional year of chronological age was associated with telomeres that were 14.9 base pairs shorter, when women and men were analyzed together, results indicated that a 100 g (3.5 oz) per day increment in F&V corresponded with 1.9 years less biological aging. When the 75th percentile of F&V intake was compared to the 25th, the difference was 4.4 years of cellular aging. When separated by sex, fruits and vegetables were both related to telomere length in women, but only vegetable intake was predictive of telomere length in men. In conclusion, evidence based on a random sample of U.S. adults indicates that the more the servings of F&V, the longer telomeres tend to be.
ISSN:2072-6643
2072-6643
DOI:10.3390/nu13051415