Telomere Length in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Is Associated with Folate Status in Men ,

Abstract

Human chromosomes are capped by telomeres, which consist of tandem repeats of DNA and associated proteins. The length of the telomeres is reduced with increasing cell divisions except when the enzyme telomerase is active, as in stem cells and germ cells. Telomere dysfunction has been associated with development of age-related pathologies, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. DNA damage in the telomeric region causes attrition of telomeres. Because folate provides precursors for nucleotide synthesis and thus affects the integrity of DNA, including that of the telomeric region, folate status has the potential to influence telomere length. Telomere length is epigenetically regulated by DNA methylation, which in turn could be modulated by folate status. In this study, we determined whether folate status and the 677C > T polymorphism of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene are associated with the telomere length of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in healthy men. The results of our study showed that plasma concentration of folate was associated with telomere length of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in a nonlinear manner. When plasma folate concentration was above the median, there was a positive relationship between folate and telomere length. In contrast, there was an inverse relationship between folate and telomere length when plasma folate concentration was below the median. The MTHFR 677C > T polymorphism was weakly associated (P = 0.065) with increased telomere length at below-median folate status. We propose that folate status influences telomere length by affecting DNA integrity and the epigenetic regulation of telomere length through DNA methylation.

Telómeros Y Calidad De La Dieta: Una Revision Sistematica

“…En consecuencia, un estado nutricional deficiente en folato resulta en telómeros más cortos debido posiblemente a daños producidos en el ADN (84,85). La deficiencia de folato produce un desequilibrio en los nucleótidos de la célula que puede desestabilizar las horquillas de replicación y causar un acortamiento de los telómeros debido a la incorporación errónea de uracilo (86).…”

“…Mediante diversos mecanismos, la vitamina B12 tiene fuertes propiedades antioxidantes y reduce el estrés oxidativo (87). A pesar de que esta vitamina genera grupos metilo para reacciones de metilación, la concentración plasmática de vitamina B12 o la ingesta de vitamina B12 no han demostrado una asociación con la longitud del telómero (85,88). Sin embargo, las mujeres que usan suplementos de vitamina B12 tienen telómeros más largos que las no usuarias (88).…”

Telomere Length and Its Relation to Human Health

“…Low levels of folate were associated with shorter telomeres in an older male cohort, although this effect was not observed either in female subjects or younger adults [108]. Another study showed that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism of the folate metabolism gene, which may raise plasma homocysteine, was weakly associated with increased telomere length at below-median folate levels [110]. A recent study showed that folate deficiency leads to long but dysfunctional telomeres, associated with increased chromosome instability, possible due to DNA hypomethylation [107].…”

Telomeres and Lifestyle Choices

“…Higher plasma vitamin D was associated with increased telomere length in women . Another study reported elevated plasma homocysteine is associated with decreased telomere length [Richards et al, 2008], while higher folate was associated with longer telomeres [Paul et al, 2009]. Farzaneh-Far et al found that in a cohort of patients with coronary artery disease, there was an inverse relationship between baseline levels of marine omega-3 fatty acids and the rate of telomere shortening over the next five years, regardless of other factors .…”