Race/ethnicity and telomere length in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

SummaryTelomere 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.

Mediterranean diet and leukocyte telomere length in a multi-ethnic elderly population

“…There are several possible explanations. In the MESA population (Diez Roux et al 2009), it was found that cross-sectional associations of age with shorter telomeres were stronger in African Americans and Hispanics than in whites, after adjustment for many environmental factors such as BMI, diet, SES, smoking, and physical activity. Therefore, the effect of diet on LTL, beyond and above the effect of chronological age, might not be substantial among African Americans and Hispanics.…”

“…While in whites, in addition to the age, diet may still be able to exert significant modification on LTL. In addition, MESA and another study including subsamples of the Family Heart Study (FHS) (n=1968) and the Bogalusa Heart Study (BHS) (n=573) (Hunt et al 2008) both found a steeper decline in LTL with age in African Americans (in MESA (Diez Roux et al 2009) and FHS/BHS (Hunt et al 2008)) or Hispanics (in MESA (Diez Roux et al 2009)) than in whites. These findings again suggested a larger effect of aging (chronological age) on LTL attrition among African Americans or Hispanics than among whites, probably leaving less space for lifestyle or other environmental factors to modulate the LTL.…”

“…Although LTL is strongly influenced by genetic factors, telomere attrition might be modulated by environmental and lifestyle factors, including older age, cigarette smoking, gender, ethnicity (Diez Roux et al 2009), education ) and other indicators of socioeconomic status (Carroll et al 2013), and diet (Kiecolt-Glaser et al 2013). Inflammation (O'Donovan et al 2011) and oxidative stress (de Vos-Houben et al 2012;von Zglinicki 2002) may contribute to LTL shortening and may represent pathways for the LTL changes associated with various environmental or lifestyle factors (Kiecolt-Glaser et al 2013;Wolkowitz et al 2011).…”

Telomere length and adiposity in a racially diverse sample

“…14,15 Another study demonstrated that blacks and Hispanics had shorter telomeres than whites. 16 One possible reason for these differences could be a differential impact of adiposity on telomere length by race, similar to the differential impact of adiposity on mortality that has been previously demonstrated between Whites and Blacks. In these studies, the association between being overweight and mortality appears to be weaker in Blacks than Whites.…”

Longevity, Stress, Genes and African Americans

“…Differences by race in TL may be indicative of the cumulative burden of differential exposure to oxidative stress (and its predictors) over one's life. 8 While this and other investigations have studied genetic adaptations and polymorphisms as contributors to longevity, there is perhaps no more studied than APOE. Variants of this genotype have been found to be associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease but it is not completely clear what impact the APOE genotype has on African Americans.…”