Journal
NUTRIENTS
Volume 14, Issue 18, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/nu14183723
Keywords
telomere; senescence; omega-3 fatty acid; oxidative stress
Categories
Funding
- National Science Centre, Poland [2020/39/B/NZ5/02469, 2015/17/N/NZ9/01105]
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Telomeres play a key role in protecting chromosome ends and maintaining genome stability, but they shorten with aging. Short telomeres are associated with age-related diseases, but the variability in telomere shortening suggests it is modifiable. Studies have explored the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on telomere shortening, with most indicating a beneficial effect on telomere length.
Telomeres are complexes consisting of tandem repeat DNA combined with associated proteins that play a key role in protecting the ends of chromosomes and maintaining genome stability. They are considered a biological clock, as they shorten in parallel with aging. Furthermore, short telomeres are associated with several age-related diseases. However, the variability in telomere shortening independent of chronological age suggests that it is a modifiable factor. In fact, it is regulated inter alia by genetic damage, cell division, aging, oxidative stress, and inflammation. A key question remains: how can we prevent accelerated telomere attrition and subsequent premature replicative senescence? A number of studies have explored the possible impact of omega-3 fatty acids on telomere shortening. This review summarizes published cross-sectional studies, randomized controlled trials, and rodent studies investigating the role of omega-3 fatty acids in telomere biology. It also covers a broad overview of the mechanism, currently favored in the field, that explains the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on telomeres-the food compound's ability to modulate oxidative stress and inflammation. Although the results of the studies performed to date are not consistent, the vast majority indicate a beneficial effect of omega-3 fatty acids on telomere length.
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