Chromosome ends contain telomeres, and during cell division, telomere length becomes shorter. Therefore, it has been suggested that telomere length is a biomarker of cellular aging.
Some studies have found a link between telomere shortening and heart disease and diabetes.
The association between telomere length and various cancers are less clear, yet shorter telomeres have been associated with the bladder, gastric, and ovarian cancer, to name a few.
In a recent study, researchers examined the link between the consumption of processed and unprocessed red meat and telomere length.
They used data from the Strong Heart Family Study, which included 2846 people from 13 American Indian communities found in Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oklahoma.
This study was designed to identify genetic factors that influence cardiovascular risk in American Indians.
Participants completed a questionnaire, which provided an estimate of past-year consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat. The team also tested their blood samples.
The team found that after adjusting for age, sex, site, education, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity and other dietary factors, eating processed meat was linked to shorter telomere length.
Furthermore, each additional serving of processed meat was linked to shorter telomeres.
However, there was no link between eating unprocessed red meat and telomere length in these people.
Based on these findings, the team suggests that eating processed meat may contribute to several age-related diseases in part because of its impact on telomere maintenance.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about 10 worst foods to avoid if you have diabetes, and best foods for lowering high blood pressure naturally.
For more information about aging, please see recent studies about the promising Alzheimer’s drug that may improve memory in aging, and results showing these fruits could slow down brain aging and cognitive decline.
The study was published in The Journal of Nutrition and conducted by Fretts AM et al.
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