Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Epidemiology and Population Health

Lean body mass but not body fat mass is related with leukocyte telomere length in children

International Journal of Obesity volume 47, pages 67–74 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body composition and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in healthy Chinese children aged 6–11 years.

Methods

This cross-sectional study enrolled 406 healthy children (175 girls and 231 boys). The relative telomere length in their peripheral blood leukocytes was determined via quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to determine body fat content and regional fat distribution, appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) at the total body (TB) and total body less head (TBLH) levels, and total body lean mass (TBLM) was then determined. ASM/height2 (ASMI) was also calculated.

Results

After adjusting for potential covariates, multiple linear regression analyses revealed that neither body fat content nor regional body fat distribution were significantly associated with LTL (β = −8.48 × 10−6–1.44 × 10−1, p = 0.227–0.959). However, ASM, ASMI, TB BMC/TB BMD, TBLH BMC/TBLH BMD and TBLM were positively associated with LTL (β = 8.95 × 10−6–4.95 × 10−1, p = 0.005–0.035). Moreover, analysis of covariance revealed there was a statistically significant dose-dependent positive association between LTL and ASM, TB BMC/BMD, TBLH BMC/BMD, and TBLM (p-trend = 0.002–0.025).

Conclusions

Skeletal muscle mass and bone mass but not body fat content or distribution were significantly associated with LTL in this pediatric population.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Analysis of covariances for the associations of tertiles of skeletal muscle mass and bone mass indexes with leukocyte telomere length (T/S).

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

References

  1. Aubert G, Lansdorp PM. Telomeres and aging. Physiol Rev. 2008;88:557–79.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Barrett JH, Iles MM, Dunning AM, Pooley KA. Telomere length and common disease: study design and analytical challenges. Hum Genet. 2015;134:679–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Salpea KD, Talmud PJ, Cooper JA, Maubaret CG, Stephens JW, Abelak K, et al. Association of telomere length with type 2 diabetes, oxidative stress and UCP2 gene variation. Atherosclerosis. 2010;209:42–50.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Haycock PC, Heydon EE, Kaptoge S, Butterworth AS, Thompson A, Willeit P. Leucocyte telomere length and risk of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis. Bmj. 2014;349:g4227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hou L, Zhang X, Gawron AJ, Liu J. Surrogate tissue telomere length and cancer risk: shorter or longer? Cancer Lett. 2012;319:130–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Fani L, Hilal S, Sedaghat S, Broer L, Licher S, Arp PP, et al. Telomere length and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease: the Rotterdam study. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;73:707–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Gorenjak V, Petrelis AM, Stathopoulou MG, Visvikis-Siest S. Telomere length determinants in childhood. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2020;58:162–77.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Magrone T, Jirillo E. Childhood obesity: immune response and nutritional approaches. Front Immunol. 2015;6:76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Selvaraju V, Phillips M, Fouty A, Babu JR, Geetha T. Telomere length as a biomarker for race-related health disparities. Genes (Basel) 2021;12:78.

  10. Zhu H, Wang X, Gutin B, Davis CL, Keeton D, Thomas J, et al. Leukocyte telomere length in healthy Caucasian and African-American adolescents: relationships with race, sex, adiposity, adipokines, and physical activity. J Pediatr. 2011;158:215–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Clemente DBP, Maitre L, Bustamante M, Chatzi L, Roumeliotaki T, Fossati S, et al. Obesity is associated with shorter telomeres in 8 year-old children. Sci Rep. 2019;9:18739.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kjaer TW, Faurholt-Jepsen D, Mehta KM, Christensen VB, Epel E, Lin J, et al. Shorter preschool, leukocyte telomere length is associated with obesity at age 9 in Latino children. Clin Obes. 2018;8:88–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Nuttall FQ. Body Mass Index: obesity, BMI, and health: a critical review. Nutr Today. 2015;50:117–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Flegal KM, Ogden CL, Yanovski JA, Freedman DS, Shepherd JA, Graubard BI, et al. High adiposity and high body mass index-for-age in US children and adolescents overall and by race-ethnic group. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91:1020–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Kwok KH, Lam KS, Xu A. Heterogeneity of white adipose tissue: molecular basis and clinical implications. Exp Mol Med. 2016;48:e215.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Abramowitz MK, Hall CB, Amodu A, Sharma D, Androga L, Hawkins M. Muscle mass, BMI, and mortality among adults in the United States: A population-based cohort study. PLoS One. 2018;13:e0194697.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Woo J, Yu R, Tang N, Leung J. Telomere length is associated with decline in grip strength in older persons aged 65 years and over. Age (Dordr). 2014;36:9711.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Marzetti E, Lorenzi M, Antocicco M, Bonassi S, Celi M, Mastropaolo S, et al. Shorter telomeres in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from older persons with sarcopenia: results from an exploratory study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2014;6:233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Pignolo RJ, Suda RK, McMillan EA, Shen J, Lee SH, Choi Y, et al. Defects in telomere maintenance molecules impair osteoblast differentiation and promote osteoporosis. Aging Cell. 2008;7:23–31.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Chen G, Yan H, Hao Y, Shrestha S, Wang J, Li Y, et al. Comparison of various anthropometric indices in predicting abdominal obesity in Chinese children: a cross-sectional study. BMC Pediatr. 2019;19:127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Cawthon RM. Telomere measurement by quantitative PCR. Nucleic Acids Res. 2002;30:e47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Yang Y, Wang Y, Pan X. China food composition table. Beijing: Beijing Medical University Pub; 2009.

  23. Gielen M, Hageman GJ, Antoniou EE, Nordfjall K, Mangino M, Balasubramanyam M, et al. Body mass index is negatively associated with telomere length: a collaborative cross-sectional meta-analysis of 87 observational studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;108:453–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Després JP. Body fat distribution and risk of cardiovascular disease: an update. Circulation. 2012;126:1301–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Kawai T, Autieri MV, Scalia R. Adipose tissue inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in obesity. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2021;320:C375–c391.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Mancuso P, Bouchard B. The impact of aging on adipose function and adipokine synthesis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Wolfe RR. The underappreciated role of muscle in health and disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84:475–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Kim H, Hirano H, Edahiro A, Ohara Y, Watanabe Y, Kojima N, et al. Sarcopenia: Prevalence and associated factors based on different suggested definitions in community-dwelling older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2016;16:110–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Bekaert S, De Meyer T, Rietzschel ER, De Buyzere ML, De Bacquer D, Langlois M, et al. Telomere length and cardiovascular risk factors in a middle-aged population free of overt cardiovascular disease. Aging Cell. 2007;6:639–47.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Zglinicki TV. Oxidative stress shortens telomeres. Trends Biochem Sci. 2002;27:339–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Handschin C, Spiegelman BM. The role of exercise and PGC1alpha in inflammation and chronic disease. Nature. 2008;454:463–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Chen L, Shivappa N, Dong X, Ming J, Zhao Q, Xu H, et al. Association between appendicular skeletal muscle index and leukocyte telomere length in adults: a study from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2002. Clin Nutr. 2021;40:3470–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Vierucci F, Saggese G, Cimaz R. Osteoporosis in childhood. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2017;29:535–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Sakka SD, Cheung MS. Management of primary and secondary osteoporosis in children. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2020;12:1759720x20969262.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Saeed H, Abdallah BM, Ditzel N, Catala-Lehnen P, Qiu W, Amling M, et al. Telomerase-deficient mice exhibit bone loss owing to defects in osteoblasts and increased osteoclastogenesis by inflammatory microenvironment. J Bone Miner Res. 2011;26:1494–505.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Wong SK, Ima-Nirwana S, Chin KY. Can telomere length predict bone health? A review of current evidence. Bosn J Basic Med Sci. 2020;20:423–9.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Valdes AM, Richards JB, Gardner JP, Swaminathan R, Kimura M, Xiaobin L, et al. Telomere length in leukocytes correlates with bone mineral density and is shorter in women with osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int. 2007;18:1203–10.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Bekaert S, Van Pottelbergh I, De Meyer T, Zmierczak H, Kaufman JM, Van Oostveldt P, et al. Telomere length versus hormonal and bone mineral status in healthy elderly men. Mech Ageing Dev. 2005;126:1115–22.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Tao L, Huang Q, Yang R, Dai Y, Zeng Y, Li C, et al. The age modification to leukocyte telomere length effect on bone mineral density and osteoporosis among Chinese elderly women. J Bone Miner Metab. 2019;37:1004–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Sanders JL, Cauley JA, Boudreau RM, Zmuda JM, Strotmeyer ES, Opresko PL, et al. Leukocyte telomere length is not associated with BMD, osteoporosis, or fracture in older adults: results from the health, aging and body composition study. J Bone Miner Res. 2009;24:1531–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Tang NL, Woo J, Suen EW, Liao CD, Leung JC, Leung PC. The effect of telomere length, a marker of biological aging, on bone mineral density in elderly population. Osteoporos Int. 2010;21:89–97.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Nielsen BR, Linneberg A, Bendix L, Harboe M, Christensen K, Schwarz P. Association between leukocyte telomere length and bone mineral density in women 25-93 years of age. Exp Gerontol. 2015;66:25–31.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Valdes AM, Deary IJ, Gardner J, Kimura M, Lu X, Spector TD, et al. Leukocyte telomere length is associated with cognitive performance in healthy women. Neurobiol Aging. 2010;31:986–92.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Ginaldi L, Benedetto M, Martinis M. Osteoporosis, inflammation and ageing. Immunity Ageing. 2005;2:14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the research team members from the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene and Food Safety and Health Research Center of Southern Medical University for their help in sample collection. We also thank the families who participated in this research. This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81903347 and 81973045) and Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2021A1515011163).

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Zhen Hong, Xiaoping Lin.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510400, China

    Zhen Hong, Xiaoping Lin, Yingyu Zhou & Zheqing Zhang

  2. Department of Child Health Care, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, 510623, China

    Guo Zheng & Jingjing Liang

  3. Food Safety and Health Research Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510400, China

    Xuemei Liao & Qinzhi Wei

Authors
  1. Zhen Hong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiaoping Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yingyu Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Guo Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xuemei Liao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Qinzhi Wei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Zheqing Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jingjing Liang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

ZZ and JL conceptualized and designed the study. ZH, XL, YZ, GZ and XL collected data and performed analysis. ZH and ZZ drafted the manuscript. JL, ZZ and QW revised the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Zheqing Zhang or Jingjing Liang.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hong, Z., Lin, X., Zhou, Y. et al. Lean body mass but not body fat mass is related with leukocyte telomere length in children. Int J Obes 47, 67–74 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-022-01239-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-022-01239-4

Search

Advanced search

Quick links