Researchers from the University of Navarra and the EVASYON study, led by Professor Amelia Marti, conclude that a comprehensive weight loss intervention in obese adolescents can contribute to the prevention of telomere shortening, a biomarker of aging. These results are part of a doctoral thesis of the School of Pharmacy and have been recently published in the scientific journal Plos One.

For Sonia García Calzón, a student at doctorate and principal investigator, "this fact indicates that treating obesity in adolescence is important, as it can prevent subsequent morbimortality". In addition, it was found that those adolescents who presented a greater initial telomere length improved their anthropometric variables (weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist height index), thus reducing their body adiposity, "which indicates that telomere length may be a possible biomarker of response to weight loss treatment", concludes the expert.

Telomeres are biomarkers of aging, so the older the age, the shorter the telomere length. On the other hand, chronic inflammation or oxidative stress associated with obesity are related to accelerated telomere shortening. In this sense," emphasizes Professor Marti, " the comprehensive intervention carried out for two months in obese adolescents has not only been effective in weight loss, but has also reduced body adiposity, which may have led to a decrease in the inflammatory and oxidative state, and consequently, less telomere shortening".

These results are part of the EVASYON study, a comprehensive intervention program to treat overweight and obesity in adolescents, which is composed of multidisciplinary teams from Granada, Madrid, Pamplona, Santander and Zaragoza.