Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Medicine and Health Sciences "V. Tiberio", University of Molise, Campobasso, 86100, Italy.
Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, 11527, Greece.
Ageing Res Rev. 2019 Jan;49:1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2018.11.001. Epub 2018 Nov 15.
The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a gold standard for nutrition and the most evidence-based diet to delay the onset of age-associated pathologies. Telomeres are the heterochromatic repeat regions found at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, whose length is considered a reliable hallmark of biological ageing. Telomere shortening is, at least in part, a modifiable factor and there is evidence that adherence to the MD is associated with longer telomeres. Data from several studies indicate an association between "inflammatory/oxidative status" and telomere length (TL). The MD, as a complex exposome with thousands of nutrients and phytochemicals, may positively influence telomere attrition by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. However, it is unclear whether the protective effects on TL provided by the MD result from its individual constituents or some combination of these. Furthermore, these properties of the MD and its components are not yet fully validated by clinical endpoints in randomized trials or observational studies. Here, we summarize the data from experimental and population-based studies on the effects of the MD on TL maintenance. We will both highlight the possible role of the MD in the prevention of age-associated diseases, and attempt to identify certain aspects of the diet that are particularly important for telomere maintenance.
地中海饮食（MD）是营养的黄金标准，也是最有循证医学依据的饮食，可以延缓与年龄相关的病理发生。端粒是真核染色体末端发现的异染色质重复区域，其长度被认为是生物衰老的可靠标志。端粒缩短至少在一定程度上是一个可改变的因素，有证据表明，坚持 MD 与端粒更长有关。多项研究的数据表明，“炎症/氧化应激状态”与端粒长度（TL）之间存在关联。MD 作为一个包含数千种营养物质和植物化学物质的复杂外显子组，通过减少炎症和氧化应激，可能会对端粒损耗产生积极影响。然而，尚不清楚 MD 对 TL 的保护作用是来自其单个成分还是这些成分的某种组合。此外，MD 及其成分的这些特性尚未通过随机试验或观察性研究的临床终点得到充分验证。在这里，我们总结了关于 MD 对 TL 维持影响的实验和基于人群的研究数据。我们将重点介绍 MD 在预防与年龄相关的疾病方面的可能作用，并尝试确定对端粒维持特别重要的某些饮食方面。
