Adults with the highest polyphenol intake had substantially lower odds of having short telomeres, while fruit and modest coffee consumption also showed associations with markers of healthier cellular aging.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Adults who consumed the most polyphenols were significantly less likely to have short telomeres, according to a study presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul that adds to evidence linking dietary patterns with cellular aging.
Researchers from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, analyzed more than 1,700 adults whose telomere lengths were measured in 2008 and again in 2015.
Participants with the highest overall intake of polyphenols had a 52% lower risk of short telomeres compared with those consuming the lowest amounts.
Telomeres are protective structures located at the ends of chromosomes that help preserve genetic information during cell division. They naturally shorten over time, but shorter telomeres have also been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, some cancers and overall mortality.
The findings suggest that long-term eating patterns rich in plant compounds may be associated with slower cellular aging, although researchers cautioned that the observational study cannot establish that polyphenols directly caused the differences in telomere length.
Fruit and coffee showed some of the strongest individual associations.
Participants consuming four to five servings of fruit per day had a 29% lower risk of short telomeres compared with those who ate the least fruit.
Moderate coffee consumption, defined in the study as up to one cup per day, was associated with a 26% lower risk compared with people who did not drink coffee.
Isabella Kury Guzmán, the study’s lead author, said the results should be viewed as evidence supporting an overall dietary pattern rather than a single food with anti-aging properties.
“Our findings point to a broader message: a diet rich in polyphenols, including foods like fruits and coffee, may be one piece of the puzzle in supporting healthier cellular ageing. This is not about one ‘anti-ageing’ food, but about the cumulative effect of everyday dietary choices over time.”
Not every polyphenol-rich food examined showed the same relationship.
Researchers did not find a statistically significant association between telomere length and consumption of olive oil, red wine or vegetables in the study.
Those differences are consistent with earlier research suggesting that individual polyphenols and food sources may affect biological pathways differently.
One previous study found that higher blood concentrations of theobromine, a compound found in cocoa, were associated with longer telomeres. Researchers in that work linked the association specifically to theobromine rather than to other cocoa or coffee metabolites.
Other research has suggested that walnuts, another source of polyphenols, may help preserve telomere length.
Laboratory studies have also examined the relationship between telomeres and plant compounds found in foods such as green tea. Epigallocatechin gallate, commonly known as EGCG, has been studied for its effects on telomerase activity, while flavonoids have been associated with protection of telomere length in cell models.
Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, professor of human nutrition at King’s College London, said the findings fit within a larger body of research examining polyphenols and age-related disease.
“Polyphenols have been linked to a lower risk of age-related diseases, including heart disease and cognitive decline. This study adds to growing evidence that diets rich in polyphenols may support healthier ageing.”
Researchers emphasized, however, that accurately measuring polyphenol consumption remains difficult.
The study estimated intake using dietary questionnaires rather than directly measuring individual polyphenol compounds in participants’ blood.
That approach introduces uncertainty because polyphenols are present across a wide range of plant foods and their absorption and availability in the body can vary considerably.
Gunter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition at the University of Reading, cautioned that separating the effects of polyphenols from the overall health benefits of a plant-rich diet is particularly challenging.
Fruits, vegetables and other plant foods contain numerous vitamins, minerals, fibers and biologically active compounds in addition to polyphenols, making it difficult to determine which components are responsible for any observed association.
The study’s observational design creates another important limitation.
Although researchers identified associations between higher polyphenol intake and a lower likelihood of short telomeres, the results cannot demonstrate that increasing polyphenol consumption will directly lengthen telomeres or prevent them from shortening.
Inflammation may be one possible biological connection.
Chronic inflammation has been associated with accelerated telomere shortening, while polyphenols have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers have suggested that reducing inflammation could be one way plant compounds influence cellular aging, although additional research is needed to establish such mechanisms in humans.
The findings are also preliminary because the study was presented at a scientific conference and has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Researchers said future studies using more precise methods for measuring individual polyphenols and their metabolites could help determine whether specific compounds are responsible for the associations observed.
For now, the results reinforce a broader pattern in nutrition research: diets emphasizing fruits and other polyphenol-rich plant foods may be associated with healthier aging, but the benefits likely reflect the combined effects of many foods and nutrients rather than any single so-called anti-aging ingredient.
Source: Natural News
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