Abstract
It is becoming increasingly evident that risk for developmental and degenerative disease, including cancers, increases with more DNA damage. Importantly, DNA damage is influenced (and can be modified) by nutritional status. Optimal concentrations of nutrients for reduction of genome damage are also dependent on many factors (genetic background, age, nutrient uptake) that vary from individual to individual.
In the genomic health era of personalised nutrition for disease prevention, there is a need to develop minimally invasive methodologies to measure alterations in disease risk biomarkers in an effort to identify at risk individuals early in disease progression. Using qPCR techniques developed by us, we aimed to evaluate the use of buccal cells and saliva as a minimally‐invasive approach to measure markers of genome health in a cross‐sectional study.
Buccal cells, saliva and blood samples were collected from 91 volunteers. This cohort comprised 18M and 25F in the young group (aged 18–31 years), and 25M and 23F in the older group (65–75yrs). Telomere length was determined in lymphocytes, buccal cells and saliva (by qPCR). Telomere length was negatively correlated with age; the strength of this correlation varied between gender and tissue type.
We report that buccal cells and saliva can be used to measure DNA damage. Further research is required to evaluate the effectiveness of buccal cells and/or saliva as a minimally‐invasive biomarker of oxidative DNA damage, genome health and disease risk status.
The development of dietary patterns, functional foods and supplements that are designed to improve genome‐health maintenance in an individual with increased disease risk may lead to a preventative health strategy based on the diagnosis and individualised nutritional prevention of genome damage.
Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):A11.
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