Telomere Science Library

Publications, Presentations, and Videos
about the Nobel-Prize Winning Science of Telomere Biology

Sex-Specific Association between Longitudinal Changes in Adiposity, FTO rs9939609 Polymorphism, and Leukocyte Telomere Length.

Authors: Chol C. Shin, Nan Hee NH. Kim, Inkyung I. Baik
Published: 08/11/2015, Journal of the American College of Nutrition

Objective

A longitudinal study was conducted to examine sex-specific associations between changes in adiposity over a 10-year period, the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism, and leukocyte telomere length (LTL).

Methods

A population-based cohort including 2128 middle-aged and older Korean men (n = 1087) and women (n = 1041) participated in a prospective study. Anthropometric measurements of weight, height, and waist and hip circumference were taken at baseline (from 2001 to 2003) and at the 10-year follow-up period (from 2011 to 2012). The FTO rs9939609 polymorphism was genotyped using DNA samples collected at baseline and LTL was assessed at the 10-year follow-up period. Multiple linear regression analysis was used with adjustments for age, baseline body mass index, and other potential confounders.

Results

Presence of the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism risk allele was inversely associated with LTL (p < 0.01) in all participants, with a significant association seen only in women when the genders were modeled separately. Conversely, a significant inverse association between changes in waist circumference and LTL was found in men (p < 0.001) but not in women. No significant interaction between adiposity measures and the FTO polymorphism in association with LTL was identified for either sex.

Conclusions

These data suggest that biological aging in men may be accelerated by increasing waist circumference, whereas in women, aging may be affected by genetic variations in FTO regardless of adiposity changes over time.

PubMed Full Text