Open Access

Association of nutraceutical supplements with longer telomere length

  • Authors:
    • Dimitris Tsoukalas
    • Persefoni Fragkiadaki
    • Anca Oana Docea
    • Athanasios K. Alegakis
    • Evangelia Sarandi
    • Elena Vakonaki
    • Eralda Salataj
    • Elisavet Kouvidi
    • Dragana Nikitovic
    • Leda Kovatsi
    • Demetrios A. Spandidos
    • Aristidis Tsatsakis
    • Daniela Calina
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: May 10, 2019     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2019.4191
  • Pages: 218-226
  • Copyright: © Tsoukalas et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Telomeres are nucleotide tandem repeats located at the tip of eukaryotic chromosomes that maintain genomic integrity. The gradual shortening of telomeres leads to cellular senescence and apoptosis, a key mechanism of aging and age‑related chronic diseases. Epigenetic factors, such as nutrition, exercise and tobacco can affect the rate at which telomeres shorten and can modify the risk of developing chronic diseases. In this study, we evaluated the effects of a combination of nutraceutical supplements (NS) on telomere length (TL) in healthy volunteers with no medical history of any disease. Participants (n=47) were selected from healthy outpatients visiting a private clinic and were divided into the experimental group (n=16), that received the NS and the control group (n=31). We estimated the length of single telomeres in metaphase spread leukocytes, isolated from peripheral blood, using quantitative‑fluorescent in situ hybridization (Q‑FISH) analysis. The length of the whole telomere genome was significantly increased (P<0.05) for the mean, 1st quartile and median measurements in the experimental group. Similar findings were observed for short TL (20th percentile) (P<0.05) for the median and 3rd quartile measurements in the NS group, compared to the control group. The beneficial effects of the supplements on the length of short telomeres remained significant (P<0.05) following adjustment for age and sex. Telomeres were moderately longer in female patients compared to the male patients. On the whole, the findings of this study suggest that the administration of NS may be linked to sustaining the TL.
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July-2019
Volume 44 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 1107-3756
Online ISSN:1791-244X

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Spandidos Publications style
Tsoukalas D, Fragkiadaki P, Docea AO, Alegakis AK, Sarandi E, Vakonaki E, Salataj E, Kouvidi E, Nikitovic D, Kovatsi L, Kovatsi L, et al: Association of nutraceutical supplements with longer telomere length. Int J Mol Med 44: 218-226, 2019.
APA
Tsoukalas, D., Fragkiadaki, P., Docea, A.O., Alegakis, A.K., Sarandi, E., Vakonaki, E. ... Calina, D. (2019). Association of nutraceutical supplements with longer telomere length. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 44, 218-226. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2019.4191
MLA
Tsoukalas, D., Fragkiadaki, P., Docea, A. O., Alegakis, A. K., Sarandi, E., Vakonaki, E., Salataj, E., Kouvidi, E., Nikitovic, D., Kovatsi, L., Spandidos, D. A., Tsatsakis, A., Calina, D."Association of nutraceutical supplements with longer telomere length". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 44.1 (2019): 218-226.
Chicago
Tsoukalas, D., Fragkiadaki, P., Docea, A. O., Alegakis, A. K., Sarandi, E., Vakonaki, E., Salataj, E., Kouvidi, E., Nikitovic, D., Kovatsi, L., Spandidos, D. A., Tsatsakis, A., Calina, D."Association of nutraceutical supplements with longer telomere length". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 44, no. 1 (2019): 218-226. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2019.4191