Human aging is a gradual and adaptive process characterized by a decrease in the homeostatic response, leading to biochemical and molecular changes that are driven by hallmarks of aging, such as oxidative stress (OxS), chronic inflammation, and telomere shortening. One of the diseases associated with the hallmarks of aging, which has a great impact on functionality and quality of life, is sarcopenia. However, the relationship between telomere length, sarcopenia, and age-related mortality has not been extensively studied. Moderate physical exercise has been shown to have a positive effect on sarcopenia, decreasing OxS and inflammation, and inducing protective effects on telomeric DNA. This results in decreased DNA strand breaks, reduced OxS and IA, and activation of repair pathways. Higher levels of physical activity are associated with an apparent increase in telomere length. This review aims to present the current state of the art of knowledge on the effect of physical exercise on telomeric maintenance and activation of repair mechanisms in sarcopenia.

The aim was to determine the effect of Sechium edule var. nigrum spinosum (chayote) on gene expression related to antioxidant protection mechanisms and the inflammatory process in older adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). A quasi-experimental study was carried out in a convenience sample of 46 older adults diagnosed with MetS: (i) placebo group (PG; n = 20); (ii) experimental group (EG; n = 26). The clinical, biochemical, anthropometric parameters and SOD, GPx, and CAT enzyme activity, alongside total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), oxidative stress index (OSI), cytokines (IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α), and mRNA expression of SOD, GPx, CAT, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, Nrf2, NFkB p50, and NFkB p65, were measured at baseline and 6 months post-intervention. A statistically significant decrease was observed in TOS (baseline, 28.9 ± 3.6 vs. post, 23.7 ± 3.4, p < 0.01) and OSI (baseline, 24.1 ± 3.8 vs. post, 17.7 ± 4), as well as an increase in IL-6 (baseline, 10.7 ± 1.1 vs. post, 12.3 ± 2, p = 0.03), SOD activity (baseline, 167.1 ± 11.9 vs. post, 180.6 ± 7.6, p < 0.05), CAT activity (baseline, 1.0 ± 0.2 vs. post, 1.3 ± 0.2, p < 0.01), and TAS (baseline, 1.1 ± 0.1 vs. post, 1.4 ± 0.1, p < 0.01) in the EG compared to the PG. Regarding the expression of Nrf2, SOD, and IL-6, the EG showed a significant increase vs. basal levels (47%, 44%, and 43%, respectively). Our findings suggest that Sechium edule supplementation promotes the antioxidant response and decreases oxidative stress via Nrf2.

Background: Telehealth physical exercise training represents a viable option for maintaining intrinsic capacity, especially in confinement situations such as the one experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of tele-training tai chi vs. resistance exercise on cardiometabolic health-related indices in older Mexican women with overweight or obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A quasi-experimental exploratory study of a convenience sample of 38 older women with overweight or obesity who participated in a zoom tele-exercise program, divided into two groups: (1) resistance training group (RTG) n = 19 (age 61 ± 7 years; BMI, 29 ± 5); (2) tai chi group (TCG) n = 19 (age 63 ± 4 years; BMI, 31 ± 5). All participants had blood cardiometabolic health-related indices and oxidative stress (OxS) markers, and body composition parameters assessed at baseline and after 6 months of tele-exercise training. Results: Adherence to the tele-training by zoom program was observed in the 90% of the RTG and 80% in the TCG. A statistically significant changes were observed after tele-training by group (p < 0.05) in several parameters, RTG: IL1β (+ 17.4%), IL6 (+ 21.2%), TNF-α (+ 19%); TAS (− 18%), TOS (+ 116%), PC (+ 33.8%), OSI (+ 147%); TCG: IL8 (+ 76.6%), IL1β (+ 26%), 8OHdG (− 26.7%), cholesterol (− 12%), %FM (− 8.1%), %FFM (+ 8.4%). Likewise, a greater increase in the ratio of free fat mass and skeletal muscle mass was observed in the TCG compared to the RTG with borderline statistical significance (p = 0.06). Conclusion: Our findings suggest TC-tele-training has a significantly greater antioxidant effect than RT linked to an increase in fat-free mass and skeletal muscle mass. Therefore, the TC-tele-training may be an option to prevent or control OxS, to maintain or improve intrinsic capacity for healthy aging.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome (MS) are chronic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia. Sechium edule (S. edule) has emerged as a complementary option due to its bioactive compounds. A systematic review of preclinical and clinical studies was carried out until 25 May 2025 in the databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and TESIUNAM. The keywords were “diabetes mellitus”, “Sechium edule”, “Squash”, “Chayote”, “hypoglycemic effect”, and “Older adults”. A total of 110 articles were found; 11 met eligibility criteria (six clinical trials and five preclinical trials). Three clinical trials met the requirements for meta-analysis. The mean difference (MD) was calculated, and data were analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software. The meta-analysis showed a statistically significant decrease in serum glucose after three months (MD = −20.56, 95% CI −29.35 to −11.77, p < 0.0001) and six months after intervention (MD = −12.96, 95% CI = −21.90 to −4.02, p = 0.004). Likewise, there was a significant decrease in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) after three months (MD = −1.12, 95% CI = −1.45, −0.78, p < 0.0001) and after six months of intervention (MD = −0.92, 95% CI = −1.13, −0.25, p = 0.002). Our findings showed that S. edule intake has a statistically significant hypoglycemic effect in older adults with T2DM or MS by decreasing serum glucose and HbA1c levels. However, the magnitude of the decrease is clinically modest, so it cannot be a substitute for pharmacological treatment. For this reason, the intake of S. edule can only be considered as a complement to pharmacological treatment.

The aim was to determine the effect of Sechium edule var. nigrum spinosum (chayote) on gene ex-pression related to antioxidant protection mechanisms and the inflammatory process in older adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). A quasi-experimental study was carried out in a con-venience sample of 46 older adults diagnosed with MetS: (i) placebo group (PG; n=20), (ii) ex-perimental group (EG; n=26). Clinical, biochemical, and anthropometric parameters, SOD, GPx, and CAT enzyme activity, total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), oxidative stress index (OSI), cytokines (IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α) and mRNA expression of (SOD, GPx, CAT, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, Nrf2, NFkB p50 and NFkB p65), were measured at baseline and 6 months post-intervention. A statistically significant decrease was observed in TOS (baseline, 28.9 ± 3.6 vs. post, 23.7 ± 3.4, p < 0.01) and OSI (baseline, 24.1 ± 3.8 vs. post, 17.7 ± 4). As well as the increase in IL-6 (baseline, 10.7 ± 1.1 vs. post, 12.3 ± 2, p = 0.03), SOD activity (baseline, 167.1 ± 11.9 vs. post, 180.6 ± 7.6, p < 0.05), CAT activity (baseline, 1.0 ± 0.2 vs. post, 1.3 ± 0.2, p < 0.01) and TAS (baseline, 1.1 ± 0.1 vs. post, 1.4 ± 0.1, p < 0.01) in the EG compared to the PG. Regarding the expression of Nrf2, SOD and IL-6, the EG showed a significant increase vs basal levels (47%, 44% and 43%, re-spectively). Our findings suggest that Sechium edule supplementation promotes the antioxidant response and decreases oxidative stress via Nrf2.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological neoplasm of rapid and progressive onset, and is the most common form of leukemia in adults. Chemoresistance to conventional treatments such as cytarabine (Ara-C) and daunorubicin is a main cause of relapse, recurrence, metastasis, and high mortality in AML patients. It is known that sodium caseinate (SC), a salt derived from casein, a milk protein, inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia cells but not in normal hematopoietic cells. However, it is unknown whether SC retains its antileukemic effect in cytarabine-resistant AML cell lines. Objective: To evaluate the antineoplastic effect of SC in cytarabine-resistant leukemia models. Methods: The SC inhibits the growth and induces apoptosis in parental WEHI-3 AML cells. Here, we generated two cytarabine-resistant sublines, WEHI-CR25 and WEHI-CR50, which exhibit 6- and 16-fold increased resistance to cytarabine, respectively, compared to the parental WEHI-3 cells. Thus, these sublines mimic a chemoresistant model. Results: We demonstrate that WEHI-CR25 and WEHI-CR50 cells retain sensitivity to SC, similar to parental WEHI-3 cells. This sensitivity results in inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and increased expression of ENT1 and dCK, molecules involved in the entry and metabolism of Ara-C, while decreasing MDR1 expression. Additionally, we observed that SC prolonged the survival of WEHI-CR50 tumor-bearing mice, despite their resistance to Ara-C. Conclusion: This is the first evidence that SC, a milk protein, may inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in cytarabine-resistant cells.