None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Traditional risk markers of CVD include blood lipids, inflammatory markers, and endothelial function. However, shorter telomeres have recently been associated with increased levels of C-reactive protein, being overweight and obese, and increased odds for developing CHD, when measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Anti-inflammatory dietary habits have been associated with increased telomere length. Specifically, a low fat, high antioxidant diet, with an emphasis on high fruit, vegetable, wholegrain and legume intake, increased telomerase activity; and a small four week intervention of consumption of a Mediterranean diet was found to decrease the percentage of cells with telomere shortening. The Mediterranean diet is high in polyphenols, phytochemicals, and monounsaturated fatty acids that confers antioxidative properties to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation to protect the heart. Recent studies have observed that specific aspects of the diet such as nuts and/or olive oil is protective towards cardiovascular health, and may thus be extracted and incorporated into the diets of other populations. Thus, the association between shorter telomeres and CVD risk factors, and anti-inflammatory diets with telomere biology, suggest that components of diets with anti-inflammatory properties may reduce CVD risk by preventing the loss of telomere length and increasing telomerase activity. To date, no study has compared the effects of fish oil supplementation or a Mediterranean influenced Antioxidant (MAx) diet on telomere length and telomerase activity in the Australian population. Furthermore, while the tolerance and acceptability of fish oil has been studied, acceptability of Mediterranean dietary aspects in an Australian population has not been investigated in a randomised controlled trial. Therefore, investigation into this area is essential to assessing the feasibility of introducing these foods to the population due to the cardiovascular benefits that they accrue. This pilot study aims to identify (1) the adherence to fish oil and a MAx diet in older Australians and thus feasibility of such dietary interventions, and (2) areas for improvement in study design to aid the development of a larger six month study with 210 participants, which will investigate the effects of these dietary interventions on telomere length and telomerase activity.
Interventions
12 week intervention assessing a Mediterranean influenced antioxidant diet (MAx) in which participants were provided 15g walnuts, 7.5g hazelnuts, and 7.5g almonds per day, pre-packed into weekly allowances, and 20ml virgin olive oil per day; commercially available from a large supermarket chain in Australia.
Sponsors
Flinders University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
(1) be aged greater than or equal to 60 years; and (2) have any one of the following conditions (indicating increased risk for CVD: i. diabetes; ii. diagnosed familial hypercholesterolaemia; iii. systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 180 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 110 mmHg; iv. serum total cholesterol greater than 7.5 mmol/L or any two of the following: i. current smoker; ii. waist circumference (greater than or equal to 94 cm men; greater than or equal to 80 cm women); iii. BMI (greater than or equal to 25.0 kg/m^2); iv. family history of CVD; and 3) a low intake of fish (less than 1 serving per week) or self-report to consume nuts and olive oil in amounts lower than the proposed Mediterranean style diet; (4) willing to consume 9 fish oil capsules per day or follow a diet containing foods high in antioxidants; (5) able to provide written informed consent; and (6) able to attend clinic visits at Flinders Medical Centre.
Exclusion criteria
(1) unwilling to comply with study protocol; (2) diagnosed cardiovascular disease or suffered a CV event; (3) currently on a weight loss diet or actively trying to lose weight; (4) allergies to fish/seafood or components of the Mediterranean diet (e.g. nuts); (5) intake of anti-inflammatory medications on a regular basis or if an acute intake, within 1 week of clinic screening visit; and (6) currently taking fish oil.
Outcome results
None listed