ref 'Can taking a multivitamin extend life?' Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2009Telomeres are the DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes, these shorten as we age and it is thought that the reason for telomeres shortening may be an important key to longevity. When cells replicate, telomeres shorten. So, preserving the length of telomeres is thought to be a possible key to living longer. Do you need supplements?
A study in the new issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who take multi vitamin supplements daily had telomeres that were 5.1% longer, on average, than non-vitamin users. The researchers, from the National Institutes of Health, looked at multivitamin use and nutrient intake, as well as telomere length, in 586 women ages 35 to 74. They also found a link between telomere length and intake of vitamins C and E.
How multivitamin supplements may affect telomeres is not known. But studies have shown that telomeres are vulnerable to oxidative stress, and some vitamins are antioxidants which can neutralise oxidative stresses. But more research is needed to find out whether multi vitamin supplements could really impact telomere length.
Dr. Honglei Chen, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, wrote in the report "To our knowledge, this was the first epidemiological study of multivitamin use and telomere length. Regular multivitamin supplement users tend to follow a healthy lifestyle and have a higher intake of micronutrients, which sometimes makes it difficult to interpret epidemiological observations in multivitamin use." But added, "the results are consistent with experimental findings that vitamins C and E protect telomeres in vitro."
