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An unpublished conference abstract presented at the European Congress on Obesity looks at an association between polyphenol intake and a lower risk of short telomeres.
Dr Liz Akam, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, University of Loughborough, said:
“Polyphenols are bioactive molecules that occur naturally in plants and exhibit a range of properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity effects, all of which have been supported by scientific studies. They are categorized into four main groups: flavonoids, phenolic acids, stilbenes, and lignans. If antioxidant capacity of the blood as whole were measured this could provide more effective details in terms of aging and health benefits (e.g., telomere length). [1]
“The study abstract by Kury-Guzmán et al., (2026) looking at polyphenol dietary intake and association with telomere length in a University cohort appears to be good observational research using a large sample to support a plausible mechanism (reduction in inflammatory load).
“Polyphenols are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which could protect telomeres from oxidative damage. Prior studies have suggested links between Mediterranean-style diets and health benefits (including telomere length) [2-4].
“However, as an observational analysis, it cannot establish causality, only association. Also, the use of a binary outcome (short vs non-short telomeres) reduces granularity and may mask more subtle dose–response relationships (i.e., use of a relative cut-off (20th percentile) for “short telomeres” is somewhat arbitrary).
“The claim that polyphenols may “promote healthier biological ageing” and “reduce the risk of chronic diseases” extends beyond the potential data presented. The study only demonstrates an association with telomere length not with clinical outcomes such as disease incidence or health span.
“To truly establish a link, positive or negative, for polyphenols on telomere length parallel analysis on leukocyte telomere length and systemic blood concentrations should be evaluated. Whilst remembering that telomere length itself is not a definitive surrogate endpoint for ageing or disease risk.”
1 – https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/cgjz62zz4e5o
2 – Chiva-Blanch, Gemma, Badimon, Lina, Effects of Polyphenol Intake on Metabolic Syndrome: Current Evidences from Human Trials, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2017, 5812401, 18 pages, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/5812401
3 – The effects of polyphenols and other bioactives on human health. César G. Fraga, Kevin D. Croft, David O. Kennedy & Francisco A. Tomás-Barberán. RSC Food Funct., 2019, 10, 514-528, DOI: 10.1039/C8FO01997E
Dr Christine Bosch, Associate Professor in Nutrition and Director of Research and Innovation for the School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, said:
“This is a conference abstract, so the information is limited. Telomer length as an indicator/predictor for aging is attractive, especially in the context of diet and lifestyle interventions, although sufficient evidence is missing. This observational human study adds to the literature demonstrating associations of polyphenol intake with telomer length.
“In general, observational studies demonstrate consistency on (moderate) positive observations (e.g. with Mediterranean dietary pattern), but randomised controlled trials where polyphenol interventions/polyphenol-rich diets are tested, are not convincing with no or weak effects. So, there is some evidence indicating there is a biological plausibility (based on the observational studies), however, at present there is not enough evidence from intervention trials to support that increases in polyphenol intake slows telomer shortening. So, the causal evidence is still lacking.
“The studies strengths are that it samples from a larger cohort study, the author group has published similar research in the field, on telomer length as well as analysis in larger cohorts.
“The study also has potential weakness, such as the fact that they used salivary telomer analysis which is considered more variable compared to blood samples.
“Telomer length is also associated with health/disease status which may not always align directly with aging. For example, a recent study has highlighted telomer length as candidate biomarker for hypertension, concluding that current data are not supportive of salivary TL as biomarker to predict or understand any age-related changes in blood pressure.“
Dr David Vauzour, Associate Professor in Molecular Nutrition, University of East Anglia, said:
“This is an interesting observational study from the SUN cohort reporting that adults with the highest estimated polyphenol intake had lower odds of having relatively short telomeres. The finding is biologically plausible because plant-rich diets contain compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and oxidative stress and inflammation are both linked to telomere attrition. However, this is a conference abstract rather than a full paper, so important details about the analysis, sensitivity testing and measurement precision are not yet available.
“The main conclusion that higher polyphenol intake is associated with lower odds of short telomeres is supported in the abstract. But the study cannot show that polyphenols directly preserve telomeres or slow ageing. Diet was self-reported, telomere length was measured only once, and people with high polyphenol intake may also have many other healthy behaviours that are difficult to fully adjust for. The press release is generally careful in acknowledging the observational nature of the study, but wording suggesting a direct action on DNA telomeres or healthier ageing should be treated cautiously. A fair interpretation is that these findings are consistent with existing evidence supporting plant-rich dietary patterns, but they do not prove causation and should not be used to justify anti-ageing claims or polyphenol supplementation.”
“Key limitations of the study:
– Only a conference abstract and no full paper is available
– Observational design: The study can show an association between higher dietary polyphenol intake and lower odds of having short telomeres, but it cannot prove that polyphenols cause telomere preservation or slow biological ageing.
– Self-reported dietary intake: Polyphenol intake was estimated using a validated food frequency questionnaire, but FFQs remain prone to recall bias, reporting error and imprecision. Estimating total polyphenol intake is particularly challenging because food polyphenol content varies substantially by food type, processing, preparation and database assumptions. Some of my colleagues have been trying to overcome this issue by creating polyphenols specific questionnaires (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40551573/;https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39320369/)
– No objective biomarkers of polyphenol exposure reported: The abstract does not indicate that urinary or plasma polyphenol metabolites were used to validate intake. This matters because recent evidence highlights that biomarker-based approaches can provide more objective estimates of polyphenol exposure, although these too have limitations (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40052955/)
– Limited generalisability: The SUN cohort consists of Spanish university graduates, and the press release notes that participants were mostly well-educated adults. The findings may therefore not generalise to more socioeconomically diverse populations or to populations with different dietary patterns.
– Polyphenols may be a marker, not the causal factor: High polyphenol intake may simply reflect a generally healthier, plant-rich dietary pattern rather than a specific effect of polyphenols themselves. Foods rich in polyphenols also contain fibre, vitamins, minerals and other bioactives, making it difficult to isolate polyphenols as the active exposure.”
Prof Gunter Kuhnle, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Reading, said:
“Polyphenols are a group of compounds found in many plants that have become very popular for their potential health benefits. The current study investigates whether polyphenols as a group can improve ‘healthy ageing’. As measuring actual ageing takes a long time, the scientists used a marker for ageing – the length of telomers.
“The authors show that people who consume a lot of polyphenol rich foods have longer telomers and thus age ‘healthier’. They attribute this to the polyphenol content of the diet, but polyphenols are an incredibly large and diverse group of compounds, and reliable data on actual health benefits are only available for a few specific compounds and groups of compounds. It is therefore likely that the effect seen in this study is more likely due to a dietary pattern rich in fruits and vegetables – which is already known to have health benefits.”
The unpublished abstract ‘Higher Dietary Polyphenol Intake Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Short Telomeres: Evidence from the SUN Cohort Study’ by Isabella Kury-Guzmánet al. was presented at the European Congress on Obesity. It was under embargo until 23:01 UK Time on Monday the 11th of May 2026.
Declared interests
Dr Liz Akam: “Dr Akam has conducted telomere analysis aligned to exercise intervention and telomere variation studies in different global populations aligned to sporting modalities and/or a range of disease states (phenotypic status). Dr Elizabeth Akam has previously been employed by AstraZeneca working within a range of therapeutic areas including metabolic disease.”
Dr Christine Bosch: “I work in the field of food bioactives and mechanisms of health. Recent funding was from Innovate UK for plant bioactives for gut health.”
Dr David Vazour: “I have no competing or financial interest to declare.”
Prof Gunter Kuhnle: “I am a former member of the EFSA ANS Panel, the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products, and the Environment; a current member of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes; the Director of the Chemical Analysis Facility at the University of Reading, which provides analytical services to academic and commercial clients; have received research funding (2010–20) from Mars for work on flavanols; and have received consultancy payments from RSM UK and EQT, paid to the University of Reading.”