title: Obesity and inflammation markers in relation to leukocyte telomere length in a cross-sectional study of persons with Barrett's esophagus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Telomere shortening is associated with increasing age, male gender and lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking. Inflammation has also been implicated in cellular senescence and may promote telomere shortening in chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. However, little is known about the relationship between markers of obesity and inflammation, and leukocyte telomere length (LTL).
  
  
  METHODS
  LTL was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction in peripheral leukocytes from 295 individuals diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus (BE) between 1995 and 2009. Data on lifestyle variables including obesity and smoking were collected at in-person interviews. Biomarkers of obesity (leptin, adiponectin), diabetes (glucose, insulin), inflammation (C-reactive protein, Interleukin-6, surface tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNFR) I & II) and oxidative stress (F2-isoprostanes) were measured in stored blood samples. We examined associations between these covariates and LTL in a cross-sectional analysis using linear and logistic regression models, adjusting for possible confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LTL was significantly associated with age (r = -0.30, p < 0.001), gender (r = 0.14 for females, p = 0.01) and inversely associated with cigarette pack-years (r = -0.11, p = 0.04). Odds of having short LTL were significantly higher for participants in the highest tertile for sTNF-RI (Odds ratio adjusted for age, gender, smoking, and obesity = 2.19; 95 % CI 1.00-4.85, p-trend = 0.02). LTL was not significantly associated with any other lifestyle factors, including smoking or obesity, or other inflammation-, obesity-/diabetes-related biomarkers measured.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing age, male gender, smoking history, and sTNF-RI levels were associated with short LTL among persons with BE but no correlations were observed between LTL and other inflammatory markers or measures of obesity. Larger longitudinal studies are necessary in order to further establish the potential relationships between obesity, inflammation markers and LTL.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA ; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA ; 1100 Fairview Ave. N., M4-B402, PO Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109-1024 USA.
authors.forename: Sheetal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hardikar
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Rosa Ana
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Risques
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Montine
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duggan
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA ; Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA ; Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Patricia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Blount
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA ; Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA ; Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA ; Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA ; Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Garnet L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA ; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA ; Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kratz
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA ; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA USA ; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
authors.forename: Thomas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Vaughan