Association of Telomere Length and Serum Vitamin D Levels with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and its Related Complications: A Possible Future Perspective

Abstract

Evidence show that shortened telomere length (TL) and low Vitamin D levels can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its associated complications. T2DM has been considered as an age-related disease, it may be associated with TL. The study aimed to evaluate the association of TL and Vitamin D levels with complications of T2DM and the impact of Vitamin D on TL in patients with T2DM. This 1-year cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital on 90 patients. Height, weight, body mass index, waist-hip ratio was calculated. Fasting blood sugars, postprandial blood sugar, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were analyzed. Absolute TL was obtained from quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Vitamin D estimation was done by chemiluminescent immunoassay. Descriptive analysis of the data was done using R i386 3.6.3. The study found a positive correlation between TL and Vitamin D levels ( r = 0.64; P < 0.0001). The interaction with high HbA1c levels and lower levels of Vitamin D led to the shortening of TL ( P = 0.0001). The median of TL and mean of Vitamin D levels were significantly less in the diabetic group ( P < 0.0001). Vitamin D levels positively affected the TL and its levels had an inverse relation with the HbA1c levels. This association had a significant effect on the shortening of TL. Vitamin D also had a significant association with other diabetic complications that instigated the shortening of TL. Therefore, assessing the role of Vitamin D levels on the shortening of TL can prove to be crucial biomarkers in managing optimal glycemic levels in T2DM patients.

Nutritional components as mitigators of cellular senescence in organismal aging: a comprehensive review

“…Similarly, two independent studies on elderly subjects also reported that serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D is positively associated with mean telomere length suggesting that levels of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D could be predictors of telomere length and longevity (Beilfuss et al, 2017 ; Richards et al, 2007 ). Another recent study suggests that higher levels of vitamin D are positively related to longer telomere length but negatively associated with indications of type II diabetes as monitored through levels of Hb1Ac suggesting a deeper correlation between vitamin D, and cellular senescence, and age-related diseases (Akash et al, 2021 ). In addition to vitamin D, vitamin E is also reported to have anti-cellular senescence attributes which could be attributed to its strong antioxidant activity.…”