Associations of childhood and adulthood body size, and child‐to‐adult body size change with adult telomere length
Authors' conclusion
Childhood and adulthood obesity are both associated with LTL shortening in adulthood. Transitioning to or maintaining overweight/obese status from childhood to adulthood is associated with shorter adult LTL, whereas this effect can be reversed if plumper children become normal weight.
Study context
- Population
- UK Biobank participants; childhood body size at age 10 years by questionnaire; adult body size by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI)UK Biobank
- Participants
- 453,602 participants
- Exposure
- Childhood and adulthood body size, and child-to-adult body size change, vs adult leucocyte telomere length (LTL)
- Outcome
- Adult leucocyte telomere length (LTL)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Adult LTL
- Plumper body size in childhood: shorter adult LTL
- −0.0086 [−0.0017, −0.0004]
- Adult BMI, negatively associated with LTL
- −0.0286 [−0.0315, −0.0258]
- Adult WC, negatively associated with LTL
- −0.0271 [−0.0303, −0.0238]
- Adult WHR, negatively associated with LTL
- −0.0269 [−0.0308, −0.0230]
- Adult FMI, negatively associated with LTL
- −0.0396 [−0.0438, −0.0351]
- Adult FFMI, positively associated with LTL
- 0.0095 [0.0039, 0.0152]
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Child-to-adult body size change and adult LTL
- Maintained or developed overweight/obesity from childhood to adulthood: shorter adult LTL vs consistently average/normal weight, regardless of childhood body size
- Plumper in childhood but normal weight in adulthood: LTL shortening not observed
Original publication
Associations of childhood and adulthood body size, and child‐to‐adult body size change with adult telomere length. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published 31 July 2024. doi:10.
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