Diet and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Population with Extended Longevity: The Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES)
Elderly Costa Ricans have lower mortality rates compared to their counterparts from developed countries. Reasons for this survival advantage are not completely known. In the present study, we aimed to identify dietary factors associated with leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of biologic agin...
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MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2585 |
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| author | Edward A. Ruiz-Narváez Ana Baylin Jorge Azofeifa Alejandro Leal Luis Rosero-Bixby |
| author_facet | Edward A. Ruiz-Narváez Ana Baylin Jorge Azofeifa Alejandro Leal Luis Rosero-Bixby |
| author_sort | Edward A. Ruiz-Narváez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Elderly Costa Ricans have lower mortality rates compared to their counterparts from developed countries. Reasons for this survival advantage are not completely known. In the present study, we aimed to identify dietary factors associated with leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of biologic aging, in the elderly population of Costa Rica. We conducted prospective analysis in 909 participants aged 60+ years from the Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES). We used a food frequency questionnaire to assess usual diet. We calculated dietary patterns using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We used generalized linear models to examine the association of dietary patterns and food groups with leukocyte telomere length. We found two major dietary patterns explaining 9.15% and 7.18% of the total variation of food intake, respectively. The first dietary pattern, which represents a traditional Costa Rican rice and beans pattern, was more frequent in rural parts of the country and was positively associated with baseline LTL: β (95% CI) = 42.0 base-pairs (bp) (9.9 bp, 74.1 bp) per one-unit increase of the traditional dietary pattern. In analysis of individual food groups, intake of grains was positively associated with baseline LTL: β (95% CI) = 43.6 bp (13.9 bp, 73.3 bp) per one-serving/day increase of consumption of grains. Our results suggest that dietary factors, in particular a traditional food pattern, are associated with telomere length and may contribute to the extended longevity of elderly Costa Ricans. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:31:09Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:31:09Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-580de237cb0f4c2cb22c18f0835899122023-11-22T09:02:59ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432021-07-01138258510.3390/nu13082585Diet and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Population with Extended Longevity: The Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES)Edward A. Ruiz-Narváez0Ana Baylin1Jorge Azofeifa2Alejandro Leal3Luis Rosero-Bixby4Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USADepartment of Nutritional Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USAEscuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Apartado, San Pedro, San José 11501, Costa RicaEscuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Apartado, San Pedro, San José 11501, Costa RicaCentro Centroamericano de Población, Universidad de Costa Rica, Apartado, San Pedro, San José 11501, Costa RicaElderly Costa Ricans have lower mortality rates compared to their counterparts from developed countries. Reasons for this survival advantage are not completely known. In the present study, we aimed to identify dietary factors associated with leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of biologic aging, in the elderly population of Costa Rica. We conducted prospective analysis in 909 participants aged 60+ years from the Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES). We used a food frequency questionnaire to assess usual diet. We calculated dietary patterns using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We used generalized linear models to examine the association of dietary patterns and food groups with leukocyte telomere length. We found two major dietary patterns explaining 9.15% and 7.18% of the total variation of food intake, respectively. The first dietary pattern, which represents a traditional Costa Rican rice and beans pattern, was more frequent in rural parts of the country and was positively associated with baseline LTL: β (95% CI) = 42.0 base-pairs (bp) (9.9 bp, 74.1 bp) per one-unit increase of the traditional dietary pattern. In analysis of individual food groups, intake of grains was positively associated with baseline LTL: β (95% CI) = 43.6 bp (13.9 bp, 73.3 bp) per one-serving/day increase of consumption of grains. Our results suggest that dietary factors, in particular a traditional food pattern, are associated with telomere length and may contribute to the extended longevity of elderly Costa Ricans.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2585longevityagingdiettelomeresCosta RicaNicoya |
| spellingShingle | Edward A. Ruiz-Narváez Ana Baylin Jorge Azofeifa Alejandro Leal Luis Rosero-Bixby Diet and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Population with Extended Longevity: The Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES) Nutrients longevity aging diet telomeres Costa Rica Nicoya |
| title | Diet and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Population with Extended Longevity: The Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES) |
| title_full | Diet and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Population with Extended Longevity: The Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES) |
| title_fullStr | Diet and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Population with Extended Longevity: The Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diet and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Population with Extended Longevity: The Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES) |
| title_short | Diet and Leukocyte Telomere Length in a Population with Extended Longevity: The Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES) |
| title_sort | diet and leukocyte telomere length in a population with extended longevity the costa rican longevity and healthy aging study creles |
| topic | longevity aging diet telomeres Costa Rica Nicoya |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/8/2585 |
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