title: Telomere length as a marker of cellular aging is associated with prevalence and progression of metabolic syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metabolic syndrome (MetS) clusters risk factors for age-related conditions including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Shorter telomere length (TL), a cellular marker for biological age, may predict an individual's deteriorating metabolic condition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined whether shorter baseline TL is associated with a worse metabolic profile and with less favorable trajectories of MetS components over a 6-year follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  PARTICIPANTS were part of The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, an ongoing prospective cohort study with 6-year follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 2848 participants age 18-65 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline TL from leukocytes was determined using qPCR and MetS components (waist circumference, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and fasting glucose) were determined at baseline, and after 2 and 6 years. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were adjusted for relevant sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Shorter baseline TL was cross-sectionally associated with HDL (β = -0.016, SE = 0.008, P = .05), waist circumference (β = 0.647, SE = 0.238, P = .007), triglycerides (β = 0.038, SE = 0.009, P < .001), and fasting glucose (β = 0.011, SE = 0.003, P < .001), as well as with the total number of MetS components (β = 0.075, SE = 0.023, P = .001) and the presence of MetS (OR = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.33; P = .002). Although baseline differences progressively reduced over time, shorter baseline TL was still significantly associated with unfavorable scores of most MetS components at the 2- or 6-year follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cellular aging, as assessed by TL, is associated with a higher metabolic risk profile, which remains unfavorable even after a period of 6 years. These findings suggest that cellular aging might play a role in the onset of various aging-related somatic diseases via its effect on metabolic alterations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Institute, VU University Medical Center, 1081 HL Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dóra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Révész
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Milaneschi
authors.forename: Josine E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Verhoeven
authors.forename: Brenda W J H
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Penninx
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D016922:Cellular Senescence; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D059506:Telomere Shortening; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides