The Senaca^®-System:

Why healthy food can also affect the genes

   Telomeres are DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes, the carriers of genetic information in the cells and protect them from wear and tear, which ends with the death of these cells… read more

Shorter telomeres is also shortened life expectancy and higher probability of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular and metabolic (diabetes), as well as mental disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

Because fruits, vegetables and nuts arein the first place found in the Mediterranean cuisine, because they counteract known oxidizing and inflammatory effects, and because ultimately the telomere length is affected by such effects, a group of researchers in the USA * had established the following hypothesis:

Higher adherence to the Mediterranean cuisine can be associated with longer telomeres in white blood cells.

A group of 4’700 participants with an average age of 59 in the American Nurses Health Study, a long-term study (since 1976) was investigated. The recently published results show it significantly:

The Mediterranean diet has a direct positive correlation with greater telomere length, a unique biomarker of aging. And so shows a process, not previously recognized in this context, as a definite genetic influence.

* Marta Crous-Bou, Immaculata De Vivo ao Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School BMJ 2014; 349: g6674