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Association between leukocyte telomere length and serum carotenoid in US adults

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Abstract

Purpose

Telomere length is a biomarker for aging. It is known that oxidative stress can accelerate telomere shortening, whereas antioxidants can delay their shortening. Carotenoids as antioxidants are favorably associated with health- and aging-related diseases caused by oxidative stress, but their association with telomere length is less certain. We investigated the association between blood carotenoid levels and leukocyte telomere length in a representative sample of US adults.

Methods

We analyzed 3660 participants aged 20 years and older in the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The levels of carotenoids—alpha-carotene, beta-carotene (trans + cis), beta-cryptoxanthin, combined lutein/zeaxanthin, and trans-lycopene—were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. The leukocyte telomere length (T/S ratio) was assayed using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction method.

Results

A doubling of blood alpha-carotene, beta-carotene (trans + cis), and beta-cryptoxanthin was associated with approximately 2 % longer telomeres. Compared with the lowest carotenoid quartile of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene (trans + cis), and beta-cryptoxanthin, telomere length for adults with the highest quartiles was significantly increased by 5–8 %.

Conclusion

We found that increasing levels of blood carotenoid were significantly associated with longer leukocyte telomeres in US adults. High intake of carotenoid-rich food may play a role in protecting telomeres and regulating telomere length.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Grant Numbers: 2015R1A1A3A04000923, 2015R1D1A1A01059048).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Kyoung-Bok Min

  2. Institute of Health and Environment, School of Public Health, Seoul National University, 599 Gwanak, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742, Republic of Korea

    Jin-Young Min

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Correspondence to Jin-Young Min.

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Min, KB., Min, JY. Association between leukocyte telomere length and serum carotenoid in US adults. Eur J Nutr 56, 1045–1052 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-016-1152-x

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