Dietary Copper Intake and Its Association With Telomere Length: A Population Based Study

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Gerontology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Telomeres are critical indicators of cellular aging.
• Copper is an essential trace element with largely unexplored roles in aging.
• The relationship between dietary copper and telomere length requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the association between daily dietary copper intake and leukocyte telomere length.
• To explore potential modifications of this association by obesity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from a national health and nutrition survey (n=7,324).
• Assessed dietary copper intake via 24-hour recall.
• Measured leukocyte telomere length using quantitative PCR.
• Analyzed associations using multivariable linear regression, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• A significant positive association was found between dietary copper intake and telomere length (β = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.04).
• Increased dietary copper intake correlated with longer telomeres, independent of age, sex, BMI, and other factors.
• No significant sex difference was observed in the association.

Conclusions:

• Dietary copper intake is significantly associated with longer telomere length.
• Copper's role in human health may extend to influencing the biological aging process.