Telomere length in healthy adults is positively associated with polyunsaturated fatty acids, including arachidonic acid, and negatively with saturated fatty acids.

Lymphocyte telomere length (LTL) is a biomarker of ageing that may be modified by dietary factors including fat. Red blood cell (RBCs) fatty acid status is a well-validated indicator of long-term dietary intake of fat from various sources. Recent findings from epidemiological studies of LTL in relation to fatty acids in RBCs are not conclusive. The present study was carried out to investigate if RBCs fatty acid status in 174 healthy elderly South Australians is associated with LTL. LTL was measured by real-time qPCR and fatty acid content in RBCs was measured by gas chromatography. Our results indicate that the majority of saturated fatty acids and mono-unsaturated fatty acids are negatively associated with LTL whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids are positively associated with LTL. Multiple regression analysis revealed that arachidonic acid (AA, C20:4n-6) is significantly, independently, positively correlated with LTL (β= .262; p = .000). The significant association of fatty acids, particularly C20:4n-6, with telomere length warrants further research.