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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background and aim: Telomere length (TL) is a key biomarker of cellular aging, with shorter telomeres associated with age-related diseases. Lifestyle interventions mitigating telomere shortening are essential for preventing such conditions. This study aimed to examine the effects of two weight loss dietary strategies, based on a moderately high-protein (MHP) diet and a low-fat (LF) diet on TL in individuals with overweight or obesity. Methods and Results: A total of 164 participants, aged 18–65 years from the OBEKIT trial received the MHP (n = 83) or the LF diet (n = 81) for 4 months and had TL data for analyses. TL was measured at baseline and after 4 months of the intervention using monochrome multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (MMqPCR). Both groups experienced significant improvements in anthropometric and biochemical parameters after the dietary intervention (p < 0.001). The MHP group showed an increase in TL (+0.16 ± 0.13) compared to the LF group (−0.05 ± 0.13) in multiple-adjusted models (p = 0.016). An interaction was observed between the sex and dietary group, where women in the MHP group had increased TL (+0.23 ± 0.16) after 4 months compared to women in the LF group (−0.13 ± 0.15; p = 0.001); no differences between dietary groups were found in men. This increase in TL for women was associated with an increase in protein intake (p = 0.006), measured through dietary questionnaires. Conclusion: This study shows that a MHP diet may have a protective effect on TL during weight loss, particularly in women, potentially contributing to healthier aging. These results highlight the importance of considering macronutrient composition in dietary interventions aimed at preserving TL.

Details

Title
Beneficial Effects of a Moderately High-Protein Diet on Telomere Length in Subjects with Overweight or Obesity
Author
De la Fuente, Blanca 1 ; Milagro, Fermín I 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Cuervo, Marta 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Martínez, José A 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Riezu-Boj, José I 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Zalba, Guillermo 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Amelia Marti Del Moral 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; García-Calzón, Sonia 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Physiology, Center for Nutrition and Research, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; [email protected] (B.D.l.F.); [email protected] (F.I.M.); [email protected] (M.C.); [email protected] (J.A.M.); [email protected] (J.I.R.-B.) 
 Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Physiology, Center for Nutrition and Research, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; [email protected] (B.D.l.F.); [email protected] (F.I.M.); [email protected] (M.C.); [email protected] (J.A.M.); [email protected] (J.I.R.-B.); Consorcio CIBER, M.P. Fisiopatología de La Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; IDISNA Navarra Institute for Health Research (IdiSNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain 
 Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Physiology, Center for Nutrition and Research, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; [email protected] (B.D.l.F.); [email protected] (F.I.M.); [email protected] (M.C.); [email protected] (J.A.M.); [email protected] (J.I.R.-B.); IDISNA Navarra Institute for Health Research (IdiSNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain 
 Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; [email protected] 
 Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Physiology, Center for Nutrition and Research, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; [email protected] (B.D.l.F.); [email protected] (F.I.M.); [email protected] (M.C.); [email protected] (J.A.M.); [email protected] (J.I.R.-B.); Consorcio CIBER, M.P. Fisiopatología de La Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain; IDISNA Navarra Institute for Health Research (IdiSNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain; Epigenetics and Diabetes Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University Diabetes Centre, Skåne University Hospital, 20502 Malmö, Sweden 
First page
319
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20726643
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3159556747
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.