Telomere length as a biomarker of early cumulative burden of metabolic syndrome components
Authors' conclusion
The non-linear pattern of attrition and differences in TL across NW0, MHO, and OSM phenotypes suggest that TL captures the systemic biological impact of metabolic clustering rather than the additive effect of individual risk factors.
Study context
- Population
- Participants assessed for metabolic syndrome, its components and obesity phenotypes; Telomere length (TL) measured by qPCR
- Participants
- 331 participants
- Exposure
- Telomere length across Normal Weight (NW0), Metabolically Healthy Obesity (MHO) and Obesity with MS (OMS) phenotypes; association with Metabolic Syndrome (MS) and its components
- Outcome
- Association between TL and MS, its individual components and their clustering
Methodological detailsthree incremental linear regression models (unadjusted, age/sex-adjusted, fully adjusted)
- Three incremental linear regression models (unadjusted, age/sex-adjusted, fully adjusted)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
TL and MS
- MS diagnosis robustly associated with shorter TL (fully adjusted model)
- p < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | P value |
|---|---|
| TL by obesity phenotypeMHO vs NW0 · MHO significantly shorter TL than NW0 | P = 0.005 |
| TL by obesity phenotypeMHO vs OMS · MHO longer TL than OMS | P = 0.025 |
Original publication
Telomere length as a biomarker of early cumulative burden of metabolic syndrome components. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. Published 26 June 2026. doi:10.
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