Adiposity and Leukocyte Telomere Length in US Adults by Sex-Specific Race/Ethnicity: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Objective: Little is known about the rela­tionship between adiposity and telomere length in the United States population. The objective of our research was to examine this relationship in a representative, socio­economically and sex-specific, diverse ra­cial/ethnic population in the United States. Design: Cross-sectional. Methods: Body mass index (BMI), % total body fat (TBF) and waist circumference (WC) with leukocyte telomere length (LTL) were examined according to sex-specific race/ethnicity using separate adjusted mul­tivariate linear regressions on a sample of 4,919 respondents aged 20-84 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examina­tion Survey’s 1999-2002 data. Results: LTL was shortened .41%, .44%, and .16% in African American (AA) women and was associated with increasing BMI, %TBF, and WC, (β:-.0041, 95%CI: -.0070, -.0012; P=.007; β:-.0044, 95% CI: -.0081, -.0007; P=.02; β:-.0016, 95%CI: -.0031, -.0001; P=.04, respectively). LTL was shortened .29% in White women and was associated with increasing %TBF (β:-.0029, 95%CI: -.0048, -.0009; P=.006). There were no associations among AA men, White men or Mexican American men and women. Conclusions: LTL is associated with an obesity phenotype in AA women. Tailored intervention is needed to ameliorate the burden of excess adiposity and subsequent cellular aging. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(3):441-450; doi:10.18865/ed.30.3.441