Maternal diet and offspring telomere length: a systematic review

Abstract

Context Many studies assert a negative influence of inappropriate maternal diet and nutritional status during pregnancy on offspring, not only in utero but throughout life, because of the role in the programing of noncommunicable diseases. Telomere length is a biomarker of aging, and shorter telomeres are associated with chronic disease later in life. Maternal nutrition and nutritional status may be an important determinant of offspring telomere length. Objective A systematic review was conducted to determine the effect of maternal nutrition and nutritional status in pregnancy on offspring telomere length. Data Sources This systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Database searches of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Medline, and Web of Science were performed. Study Selection Included studies assessed the association between maternal nutrition (dietary intake and nutritional status) during pregnancy and offspring telomere length measured in cord blood, serum, plasma, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Data Extraction Three authors screened and determined the quality of the articles; disagreements were resolved by a fourth author. All authors compared the compiled data. Results Seven studies were extracted and evaluated. Studies comprised a double-blind placebo-controlled trial (n = 1), prospective cohort studies (n = 5), and a cross-sectional study (n = 1). Higher circulating maternal folate and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentrations, along with higher maternal dietary caffeine intakes, were associated with longer offspring telomere length, whereas higher dietary intake of carbohydrate, folate, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin C, or sodium was not. Conclusion The limited but suggestive evidence highlights the need for further research to be conducted in this area, particularly longitudinal studies involving larger cohorts of pregnant women. Systematic review registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD42019136506

Telomere Length as a Marker of Biological Age: State-of-the-Art, Open Issues, and Future Perspectives

“…Multiple findings indicate that TL may be also significantly modulated by environmental and life-style factors throughout the life course. Among important factors affecting life-course TL dynamics, there are developmental experiences such as intrauterine unfavorable events (Entringer et al, 2018 ; Habibi et al, 2020 ), TL at birth (Gorenjak et al, 2020 ), as well as early life adversity (family's low socioeconomic status, childhood neglect or abuse, etc.) (Belsky and Shalev, 2016 ; Ridout et al, 2018 ; Beijers et al, 2020 ).…”

Telomeres, aging and reproduction

“…A metanalysis of seven double-blinded studies showed that higher concentrations of maternal folate and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 as well as dietary caffeine consumption were associated with longer telomere length in newborns. In contrast, higher consumption of carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamin C or sodium, did not associate with longer telomeres in the offspring [100]. Alcohol consumption disorders shorten adult LTL [101].…”

Associations of Maternal Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids With Telomere Length in the Cord Blood and Placenta in Chinese Population

“…Telomeres may also be susceptible to poor or unbalanced nutrition. It has been reported that TL in the offspring is positively related to folate, vitamin D, and caffeine concentrations in maternal diet (24), but negatively related to maternal saturated fat intake during pregnancy and prepregnancy BMI (25,26). In addition, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) may be a factor that prevents telomere shortening in cell division, for which they have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects, particularly, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (27)(28)(29).…”