Diez Roux Ana V, Ranjit Nalini, Jenny Nancy S, Shea Steven, Cushman Mary, Fitzpatrick Annette, Seeman Teresa
Department of Epidemiology, Center for Integrative Approaches to Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Aging Cell. 2009 Jun;8(3):251-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2009.00470.x. Epub 2009 Mar 17.
Telomere length has emerged as a marker of exposure to oxidative stress and aging. Race/ethnic differences in telomere length have been infrequently investigated. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was assessed 981 white, black and Hispanic men and women aged 45-84 years participating in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Direct measurement and questionnaire were used to assess covariates. Linear regression was used to estimate associations of LTL with race/ethnicity and age after adjustment for sex, income, education, smoking, physical activity, diet and body mass index. On average blacks and Hispanics had shorter telomeres than whites [adjusted mean differences (standard error) in T/S ratio compared to whites: -0.041 (0.018) for blacks and -0.044 (0.018) for Hispanics]. Blacks and Hispanics showed greater differences in telomere length associated with age than whites (adjusted mean differences in T/S ratio per 1 year increase in age -0.0018, -0.0047 and -0.0055 in whites, blacks and Hispanics respectively). Differences in age associations were more pronounced and only statistically significant in women. Race/ethnic differences in LTL may reflect the cumulative burden of differential exposure to oxidative stress (and its predictors) over the lifecourse.
端粒长度已成为氧化应激和衰老暴露的一个标志物。端粒长度的种族/民族差异很少被研究。对参加动脉粥样硬化多民族研究的981名年龄在45 - 84岁的白人、黑人和西班牙裔男性及女性的白细胞端粒长度（LTL）进行了评估。采用直接测量和问卷调查来评估协变量。在对性别、收入、教育程度、吸烟、身体活动、饮食和体重指数进行调整后，使用线性回归来估计LTL与种族/民族和年龄之间的关联。平均而言，黑人和西班牙裔的端粒比白人短[与白人相比，T/S比值的调整后平均差异（标准误）：黑人为-0.041（0.018），西班牙裔为-0.044（0.018）]。与白人相比，黑人和西班牙裔端粒长度与年龄的差异更大（年龄每增加1岁，白人、黑人和西班牙裔的T/S比值调整后平均差异分别为-0.0018、-0.0047和-0.0055）。年龄关联的差异在女性中更为明显且仅具有统计学意义。LTL的种族/民族差异可能反映了生命历程中氧化应激（及其预测因素）差异暴露的累积负担。
