Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Physiology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Feb;38(2):177-82. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2013.68. Epub 2013 May 6.
Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures that protect the ends of eukaryote chromosomes. Shorter telomere length (TL) is associated with some age-related human disorders, but its relationship with obesity or adiposity parameters remains unclear.
The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between TL and changes in adiposity indices after a 5-year nutritional intervention.
TL was measured by quantitative real-time PCR in 521 subjects (55-80 years, 55% women). Participants were randomly selected from the PREDIMED-NAVARRA centre after they completed a 5-year intervention programme. Anthropometric parameters were directly measured by trained personnel at baseline and on a yearly basis thereafter. TL at baseline and changes in TL after a 5-year intervention were assessed.
Higher baseline TL significantly predicted a greater decrease in body weight (B=-1.09 kg, 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.01 to -0.16), body mass index (BMI) (B=-0.47 kg m(-2), 95% CI: -0.83 to -0.11), waist circumference (B=-1.15 cm, 95% CI: -2.28 to -0.01) and waist to height ratio (B=-0.008, 95% CI: -0.010 to -0.001) in multiple-adjusted models. In addition, changes in TL during the 5-year intervention were inversely associated with changes in the four anthropometric variables. The reduction in adiposity indices during the intervention, associated with increasing TL, was even higher among subjects with the longest telomeres at baseline. Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of remaining obese after 5 years was lower in those participants who initially had the longest telomeres and increased their TL after intervention (odds ratio=0.27, 95% CI: 0.03-2.03).
Our research suggests that TL is inversely associated with changes in obesity parameters. The assessment of TL can provide further insights for biological pathways leading to adiposity. We show for the first time an improvement of obesity indices when an increase in TL is observed after a 5-year Mediterranean diet intervention.
端粒是保护真核生物染色体末端的核蛋白结构。端粒较短与一些与年龄相关的人类疾病有关，但它与肥胖或肥胖参数的关系尚不清楚。
本研究旨在评估 5 年营养干预后端粒长度（TL）与肥胖指数变化之间的关系。
通过定量实时 PCR 测量 521 名受试者（55-80 岁，55%为女性）的 TL。在完成 5 年干预计划后，从 PREDIMED-NAVARRA 中心随机选择参与者。基线和此后每年由经过培训的人员直接测量人体测量参数。评估基线时的 TL 和 5 年干预后的 TL 变化。
较高的基线 TL 显著预测体重（B=-1.09kg，95%置信区间（CI）：-2.01 至 -0.16）、体重指数（BMI）（B=-0.47kg/m(-2)，95%CI：-0.83 至 -0.11）、腰围（B=-1.15cm，95%CI：-2.28 至 -0.01）和腰高比（B=-0.008，95%CI：-0.010 至 -0.001）的变化更大。在多变量调整模型中，5 年干预期间 TL 的变化与这四个人体测量变量的变化呈负相关。在干预期间，与 TL 增加相关的肥胖指数降低，在基线时端粒最长的受试者中更为明显。逻辑回归分析显示，在最初端粒最长且干预后 TL 增加的参与者中，5 年后肥胖的风险较低（比值比=0.27，95%CI：0.03-2.03）。
我们的研究表明，TL 与肥胖参数的变化呈负相关。TL 的评估可以为导致肥胖的生物学途径提供进一步的见解。我们首次显示，在进行 5 年地中海饮食干预后，如果观察到 TL 增加，肥胖指数会得到改善。
