Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study

Ornish, Dean; Lin, Jue; Daubenmier, Jennifer; Weidner, Gerdi; Epel, Elissa S.; Kemp, Colleen; Magbanua, Mark Jesus M.; Marlin, Ruth; Yglecias, Loren; Carroll, Peter R.; Blackburn, Elizabeth H.

doi:10.1016/s1470-2045(08)70234-1

Cited by 382 publications

(277 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…A pilot study assessing the effects of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention found a low-fat, plant-based diet rich in fruits and vegetables and unrefined grains combined with moderate exercise and stress management to increase telomerase activity in men aged 49-80 years. 42 Inflammation and oxidative stress have been proposed to provide a possible explanation to the observed association between fat intake and the shortening of LTL. [43][44][45] Our findings that total fat intake and SFA intake, as well as butter intake are all inversely associated with LTL in men are in line with each other, as butter is rich in SFA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leukocyte telomere length and its relation to food and nutrient intake in an elderly population

Männistö

et al. 2012

Eur J Clin Nutr

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BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with several chronic diseases, but only a few studies have assessed the association between dietary factors and LTL. Our objective was to study the association between fats, fruits, vegetables and LTL in a cross-sectional study design. We hypothesized that intakes of fruits and vegetables would be positively associated with LTL and that intakes of fats, and especially saturated fatty acids (SFAs), would be negatively associated with LTL. SUBJECTS/METHODS: LTL was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in 1942 men and women aged 57-70 years from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. We assessed the whole diet by a validated semiquantitative 128-item food-frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: In general, there were only a few significant results. However, total fat and SFA intake (P ¼ 0.04 and 0.01, respectively) were inversely associated with LTL in men adjusting for age and energy intake. In women, vegetable intake was positively associated with LTL (P ¼ 0.05). Men consuming the most butter and least fruits had significantly shorter telomeres than those consuming the lowest amounts of butter and highest amounts of fruits (P ¼ 0.05). We found no association between LTL and body mass index, waist-hip ratio, smoking, physical activity or educational attainment. CONCLUSIONS: In this cross-sectional study of elderly men and women, there were only a few statistically significant effects of diet, but in general they support the hypothesis that fat and vegetable intakes were associated with LTL.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leukocyte telomere length and its relation to food and nutrient intake in an elderly population

Männistö

et al. 2012

Eur J Clin Nutr

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“…The expression level of hTERT is a major determinant of telomerase activity (41). Recent studies indicate that telomerase activation can be regulated by environmental interventions such as lifestyle changes or stress management (42). There are functional hTERT promoter variants known to influence telomerase expression and telomere length (43).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic variation in human telomerase is associated with telomere length in Ashkenazi centenarians

Atzmon

Cho

Cawthon

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

215

183

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Telomere length in humans is emerging as a biomarker of aging because its shortening is associated with aging-related diseases and early mortality. However, genetic mechanisms responsible for these associations are not known. Here, in a cohort of Ashkenazi Jewish centenarians, their offspring, and offspring-matched controls, we studied the inheritance and maintenance of telomere length and variations in two major genes associated with telomerase enzyme activity, hTERT and hTERC. We demonstrated that centenarians and their offspring maintain longer telomeres compared with controls with advancing age and that longer telomeres are associated with protection from age-related diseases, better cognitive function, and lipid profiles of healthy aging. Sequence analysis of hTERT and hTERC showed overrepresentation of synonymous and intronic mutations among centenarians relative to controls. Moreover, we identified a common hTERT haplotype that is associated with both exceptional longevity and longer telomere length. Thus, variations in human telomerase gene that are associated with better maintenance of telomere length may confer healthy aging and exceptional longevity in humans.longevity | heritability | aging | biomarker

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“…Behavioral interventions that reduce stress have also been linked to higher telomerase activity. For example, in one study, an intensive lifestyle change program consisting of dieting, counseling, and stress management was associated with increases in telomerase activity (22), and in a second study, intensive meditation was associated with higher postintervention telomerase (23).…”

Section: Developmental Programming | Fetal Originmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress exposure in intrauterine life is associated with shorter telomere length in young adulthood

Entringer

Epel

Kumsta

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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352

244

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Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a predictor of age-related disease onset and mortality. The association in adults of psychosocial stress or stress biomarkers with LTL suggests telomere biology may represent a possible underlying mechanism linking stress and health outcomes. It is, however, unknown whether stress exposure in intrauterine life can produce variations in LTL, thereby potentially setting up a long-term trajectory for disease susceptibility. We, therefore, as a first step, tested the hypothesis that stress exposure during intrauterine life is associated with shorter telomeres in adult life after accounting for the effects of other factors on LTL. LTL was assessed in 94 healthy young adults. Forty-five subjects were offspring of mothers who had experienced a severe stressor in the index pregnancy (prenatal stress group; PSG), and 49 subjects were offspring of mothers who had a healthy, uneventful index pregnancy (comparison group; CG). Prenatal stress exposure was a significant predictor of subsequent adult telomere length in the offspring (178-bp difference between prenatal stress and CG; d = 0.41 SD units; P < 0.05). The effect was substantially unchanged after adjusting for potential confounders (subject characteristics, birth weight percentile, and early-life and concurrent stress level), and was more pronounced in women (295-bp difference; d = 0.68 SD units; P < 0.01). To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence in humans of an association between prenatal stress exposure and subsequent shorter telomere length. This observation may help shed light on an important biological pathway underlying the developmental origins of adult health and disease risk.developmental programming | fetal origin

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Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study

Cited by 382 publications

References 51 publications

Leukocyte telomere length and its relation to food and nutrient intake in an elderly population

Leukocyte telomere length and its relation to food and nutrient intake in an elderly population

Genetic variation in human telomerase is associated with telomere length in Ashkenazi centenarians

Stress exposure in intrauterine life is associated with shorter telomere length in young adulthood

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