title: Leukocyte telomere length is independently associated with gait speed in elderly women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Declining gait speed is common in the elderly population and is associated with age-related conditions. Because telomere length is a reflection of aging and known to affect degenerative changes in organ systems, gait speed may be associated with telomere length. We therefore investigated the relationship between gait speed and leukocyte telomere length in elderly Korean women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 117 Korean elderly women participated. Metabolic variables were assessed along with gait speed calculated as walking distance (6m) divided by time. Leukocyte telomere length was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gait speed correlated with telomere length (r=0.38, p<0.01), fasting insulin (r=-0.19, p=0.04), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR; r=-0.22, p=0.02), triglyceride (r=-0.20, p=0.03), and Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE; r=0.20, p=0.03) after adjusting for age. On step-wise multiple regression analysis, telomere length (β=0.35, p<0.01), K-MMSE (β=0.16, p=0.02), age (β=-0.23, p=0.01), and HOMA-IR (β=-0.19, p=0.03) were identified as independent variables associated with gait speed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggested that telomere length may have a role in maintaining overall health status as well as preserving gait speed in the elderly population. Further studies are required to better understand the significance of our findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, 250 Seongsanno, Seodaemun-gu, 120-752 Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jee-Yon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyo-Weon
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.forename: Jae-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Jung-Ha
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Duk-Chul
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D056910:Republic of Korea; D016615:Telomere; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis; D059506:Telomere Shortening; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D016138:Walking
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides