Mineral and vitamin consumption and telomere length among adults in the United States

INTRODUCTION Shorter leukocyte telomere length (TL) is associated with several chronic diseases, but only a few studies have assessed the associations of dietary components and dietary patterns with TL in adults in the United States (US). OBJECTIVES This study was aimed to determine the relation of dietary components and dietary patterns with TL among adults in the US. PATIENTS AND METHODS National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants with data on dietary intake and TL measures from 1999 to 2001 were included. Daily intakes of 60 nutrients and bioactive compounds were calculated for each participant. Factor analysis, followed by a varimax rotation, was applied to derive the major nutrient patterns. All statistical analyses accounted for the survey design and sample weights. RESULTS Of the 10 568 eligible participants, 48.0% (n = 5020) were men; the mean age was 44.1 years. Mean (adjusted for sex, age, and race) dietary intakes of carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total folate, vitamin B-6, magnesium, iron, copper, polyunsaturated fatty acids 22: 5, and vitamin C monotonically increased across TL quarters (P < 0.05 for all), while total fat and caffeine decreased across TL quarters (P < 0.05 for all). Three food patterns together explaining 56.8% of the variance of the dietary nutrient consumption were identified. We found that the second food pattern, which was a representative of minerals and vitamins, monotonically increased across TL quarters and had a positive association with TL. CONCLUSIONS Higher mineral and vitamin consumption is associated with longer telomeres among adults in the US.