Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Oct;163(4):601-7.
doi: 10.1530/EJE-10-0241. Epub 2010 Aug 2.

Adiposity and insulin resistance correlate with telomere length in middle-aged Arabs: the influence of circulating adiponectin

Omar S Al-Attas  1 , Nasser M Al-Daghri, Majed S Alokail, Assim Alfadda, Ahmed Bamakhramah, Shaun Sabico, Dave Pritlove, Alison Harte, Gyanendra Tripathi, Philip G McTernan, Sudhesh Kumar, George Chrousos
Affiliations

Adiposity and insulin resistance correlate with telomere length in middle-aged Arabs: the influence of circulating adiponectin

Omar S Al-Attas et al. Eur J Endocrinol. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: Studies in obesity have implicated adipocytokines in the development of insulin resistance, which in turn may lead to accelerated aging. In this study, we determined associations of chromosomal telomere length (TL) to markers of obesity and insulin resistance in middle-aged adult male and female Arabs with and without diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2).

Design and methods: One hundred and ninety-three non-diabetic and DMT2 subjects without complications (97 males and 96 females) participated in this cross-sectional study. Clinical data, as well as fasting blood samples, were collected. Serum glucose and lipid profile were determined using routine laboratory methods. Serum insulin, leptin, adiponectin, resistin, tumor necrosis factor-α, and PAI-1 were quantified using customized multiplex assay kits. High sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and angiotensin II (ANG II) were measured using ELISAs. Circulating leukocyte TL was examined by quantitative real-time PCR.

Results: Circulating chromosomal leukocyte TL had significant inverse associations with body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), low-density lipoprotein (LDL)- and total cholesterol, ANG II and hsCRP levels. Adiponectin, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol predicted 47% of the variance in TL (P<0.0001). HOMA-IR was the most significant predictor for TL in males, explaining 35% of the variance (P=0.01). In females, adiponectin accounted for 28% of the variance in TL (P=0.01).

Conclusion: Obesity and insulin resistance are associated with chromosomal TL among adult Arabs. Evidence of causal relations needs further investigation. The positive association of adiponectin to TL has clinical implications as to the possible protective effects of this hormone from accelerated aging.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Linear regression plots between chromosomal telomere length and indices of obesity and insulin resistance: (A) TL versus BMI (R=−0.27; P=0.004); (B) TL versus log HOMA-IR (R=−0.29; P=0.008); (C) TL versus log adiponectin (R=0.19; P=0.04).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Telomere length in lean and obese subjects (A) and non-diabetics and diabetics (B). **P=0.001; NS, non-significant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization 2003 Global Strategy on diet, physical activity and health, Available online: http://www.who.int/nut/obs.htm
    1. Al-Nozha MM, Al-Mazrou YY, Al-Maatouq MA, Arafah MR, Khalil MZ, Khan NB, Al-Marzouki K, Abdullah MA, Al-Khadra AH, Al-Harthi SS, Al-Shahid MS, Al-Mobeireek A, Nouh MS. Obesity in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal. 2005;26:824–829. - PubMed
    1. Elhadd TA, Al-Amoudi AA, Alzahrani AS. Epidemiology, clinical and complications profile of diabetes in Saudi Arabia: a review. Annals of Saudi Medicine. 2007;27:241–250. doi: 10.4103/0256-4947.51484. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cizmecioglu FM, Etiler N, Ergen A, Gormus U, Keser A, Hekim N, Hamzaoglu O, Hatun S. Association of adiponectin, resistin, high sensitive CRP level with the metabolic syndrome in childhood and adolescence. Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology and Diabetes. 2009;117:622–627. doi: 10.1055/s-0028-1112151. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zimmermann MB, Aeberli I. Dietary determinants of subclinical inflammation, dyslipidemia and components of the metabolic syndrome in overweight children: a review. International Journal of Obesity. 2009;32:S11–S18. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2008.202. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types