title: Race/ethnicity and telomere length in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
abstract: Telomere 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Center for Integrative Approaches to Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. adiezrou@umich.edu
authors.forename: Ana V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Diez Roux
authors.forename: Nalini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ranjit
authors.forename: Nancy S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Jenny
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cushman
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seeman
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D044383:Black People / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000235:genetics; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000235:genetics; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism*; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*