Vitamin C Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin C, including details on benefits, dosage, supplements, information.

Multivitamin use and telomere length in women.

Xu Q, Parks CG, DeRoo LA, Cawthon RM, Sandler DP, Chen H

Epidemiology Branch, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.

BACKGROUND: Telomere length may be a marker of biological aging. Multivitamin supplements represent a major source of micronutrients, which may affect telomere length by modulating oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to examine whether multivitamin use is associated with longer telomeres in women. DESIGN: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from 586 early participants (age 35-74 y) in the Sister Study. Multivitamin use and nutrient intakes were assessed with a 146-item food-frequency questionnaire, and relative telomere length of leukocyte DNA was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: After age and other potential confounders were adjusted for, multivitamin use was associated with longer telomeres. Compared with nonusers, the relative telomere length of leukocyte DNA was on average 5.1% longer among daily multivitamin users (P for trend = 0.002). In the analysis of micronutrients, higher intakes of vitamins C and E from foods were each associated with longer telomeres, even after adjustment for multivitamin use. Furthermore, intakes of both nutrients were associated with telomere length among women who did not take multivitamins. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first epidemiologic evidence that multivitamin use is associated with longer telomere length among women.

Published 21 May 2009 in Am J Clin Nutr, 89(6): 1857-63.
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Articles on Vitamin C published 21 May 2009:

Regular consumption of a complementary food fortified with ascorbic acid and ferrous fumarate or ferric pyrophosphate is as useful as ferrous sulfate in maintaining hemoglobin concentrations >105 g/L in young Bangladeshi children.   Am J Clin Nutr, 89(6): 1815-20.

BACKGROUND: Non-water-soluble iron compounds have been reported to be less well absorbed than ferrous sulfate in young children, and concern has been raised about their usefulness as food fortificants. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the usefulness of ferrous fumarate and ferric pyrophosphate, compared with ferrous sulfate, in maintaining hemoglobin concentrations >105 g/L in Bangladeshi children. DESIGN: Two hundred thirty-five children aged 7-24 mo (hemoglobin >105 g/L) were ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin C published 18 May 2009:

Decreased L-ascorbate content mediating bolting is mainly regulated by the galacturonate pathway in Oncidium.   Plant Cell Physiol, 50(5): 935-46.

We investigated the alteration in l-ascorbate (AsA, reduced form) content and the expression pattern of its related genes during the phase transition in Oncidium orchid. During the vegetative growth, a high H2O2 level was associated with a high content of the reduced form of AsA. During the bolting period, the AsA content and H2O2 level were greatly reduced in parallel with increased expression of OgLEAFY, the gene encoding a key transcription factor integrating different flowering-inducing ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin C published 11 May 2009:

Bortezomib, ascorbic acid and melphalan (BAM) therapy for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: an effective and well-tolerated frontline regimen.   Eur J Haematol, 82(6): 433-9.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a single-arm, multicentre phase 2 study to evaluate bortezomib, ascorbic acid and melphalan (BAM) for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: Induction consisted of up to eight 28-d cycles of bortezomib 1.0 mg/m(2) on days 1, 4, 8 and 11, plus oral ascorbic acid 1 g and oral melphalan 0.1 mg/kg on days 1-4, followed by maintenance bortezomib 1.3 mg/m(2) every 2 wk until progression. RESULTS: Among 35 patients enrolled (median age 70 yr), responses ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin C published 7 May 2009:

Malathion-induced oxidative stress in human erythrocytes and the protective effect of vitamins C and E in vitro.   Environ Toxicol, 24(3): 235-42.

Malathion is an organophosphate (OP) pesticide that has been shown to induce oxidative stress in erythrocytes through the generation of free radicals and alteration of the cellular antioxidant defense system. We examined the effect of several different doses of malathion (25, 75, 200 microM), or malathion in combination with vitamin C (VC; 10 microM) or vitamin E (VE; 30 microM), on the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin C published 4 May 2009:

Oxidized lipoprotein induces the macrophage ascorbate transporter (SVCT2): protection by intracellular ascorbate against oxidant stress and apoptosis.   Arch Biochem Biophys, 485(2): 174-82.

To assess whether ascorbic acid decreases the cytotoxicity of oxidized human low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) in cells involved in atherosclerosis, its interaction with oxLDL was studied in murine RAW264.7 macrophages. Macrophages took up ascorbate to millimolar intracellular concentrations and retained it with little loss over 18h in culture. Culture of the macrophages with oxLDL enhanced ascorbate uptake. This was associated with increased expression of the ascorbate transporter (SVCT2), which ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin C published 28 April 2009:

Dietary high protein and vitamin C mitigates endosulfan toxicity in the spotted murrel, Channa punctatus (Bloch, 1793).   Sci Total Environ, 407(12): 3668-73.

The amelioration effect of dietary high protein and vitamin C against stress was evaluated in spotted murrel, Channa punctatus, exposed to endosulfan. Two hundred and forty fish (average weight: 27.01 g/fish), distributed equally into 4 different groups (control, T(1), T(2), and T(3)), each with 6 replicates were fed with control (40% crude protein, CP and 0.1% vitamin C), T(1) (40% CP and 0.1% vitamin C), T(2) (50% CP and 0.1% vitamin C), and T(3) (50% CP and 0.2% vitamin C) diets for 90 days. ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin C published 27 April 2009:

Effect of vitamin C administration on neutrophil apoptosis in septic patients after abdominal surgery.   J Surg Res, 153(2): 224-30.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of parenteral administration of vitamin C on neutrophil apoptosis by determining Fas receptor expression and caspase-3, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and Bcl-2 levels in neutrophils from septic abdominal surgery patients. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty septic abdominal surgery patients were studied in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial. A group of healthy volunteers (n = 10) constituted a reference group for baseline parameter values. The ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Vitamin C published 14 April 2009:

The gel state of the vitreous and ascorbate-dependent oxygen consumption: relationship to the etiology of nuclear cataracts.   Arch Ophthalmol, 127(4): 475-82.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the rate and mechanism of oxygen consumption by the vitreous. METHODS: Oxygen consumption was measured with a microrespirometer. Vitreous ascorbate was measured spectrophotometrically and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Vitreous degeneration was related to the rate of oxygen consumption and ascorbate concentration in samples obtained during vitrectomy. RESULTS: Prolonged exposure to oxygen or treatment with ascorbate oxidase eliminated oxygen consumption by ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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