Mediterranean diet reduces senescence-associated stress in endothelial cells

This paper aims to study the effects of the oxidative stress induced by quality and quantity of dietary fat on cellular senescence. Twenty elderly subjects consumed three diets, each for 4 weeks: a saturated fatty acid diet (SFA), a low-fat and high-carbohydrate diet (CHO-ALA), and a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) enriched in monounsaturated fatty acid following a randomized crossover design. For each diet, we investigated intracellular reactive oxidative species (ROS), cellular apoptosis and telomere length in human umbilical endothelial cells incubated with serum from each patient. MedDiet induced lower intracellular ROS production, cellular apoptosis, and percentage of cell with telomere shortening, compared with the baseline and with SFA and CHO-ALA diets. Dietary fat modulates the oxidative stress in human endothelial cells. MedDiet protects these cells from oxidative stress, prevents cellular senescence and reduces cellular apoptosis.