Scientists from The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and elsewhere found that Vitamin C intake is linked to telomere length and may slow down aging.
Currently, telomere length is known to reflect the replication potential and longevity of the cell.
Many studies have reported that telomere length is associated with age-related diseases and biological aging.
There was a highly strong link between early life telomere length and longevity: People that had longer telomeres at 25 d had a much longer lifespan.
Studies have also found that vitamin C acts as an oxidant and free radical scavenger to protect cells from oxidative stress and telomere wear, thus achieving anti-aging effects.
But currently, few studies have examined the link between vitamin C and telomere length, so this study aims to explore the link between vitamin C and telomere length.
The researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) database from 1999 to 2002, which included a total of 7,094 people in the United States.
Male participants accounted for 48.2% and female participants accounted for 51.8%.
The team examined the correlation between vitamin C and telomere length and the effect of dietary vitamin C on telomere length.
The results showed that vitamin C was linked to greater telomere length, with greater dietary vitamin C intake linked to longer telomeres.
The team concludes that vitamin C intake is positively linked to human telomere length, and the finding is important for clinical guidance on people’s health care.
But the study findings need to be confirmed by more in-depth and comprehensive other research results.
The research was published in Frontiers in Nutrition and conducted by Yuan Cai et al.
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