Telomere Length in Various Age Groups of Normal-Body Weight Thais and Obese Thais

Abstract

Introduction: Telomere is non-coding nucleoprotein at the terminal of chromosomes that shortens during DNA replication as a cause of aging. In obese people, excess body fat is a key role in inducing chronic inflammation which accelerates telomere shortening. This study aimed to determine the difference in telomere length between normal body weight and obese Thais males aged 21-82 years.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional design including 39 normal body weight and 41 obese subjects. Nutritional status was assessed using body composition and blood biochemistry. General information and health information were obtained by using questionnaires. Telomere length was measured using the monochromatic multiplex real-time quantitative PCR (MMqPCR) and reported in T/S ratio.
Results: In both normal weight and obese groups, the mean telomere length was found to be shortest in the oldest group and tended to be longer in normal weight than obese group in other age groups (aged 21-40 years: 1.19 ± 0.12 vs 1.12 ± 0.07, aged 41-60 years: 1.08 ± 0.12 vs 1.06 ± 0.10, and aged 61-82 years: 0.96 ± 0.06 vs 0.90 ± 0.07). Mean telomere length was found to be shorter in subjects with increased visceral fat, high fasting plasma glucose, BUN, and lack of exercise.
Conclusions: The findings among Thai subjects in different age groups revealed that telomere length significantly shortens with age and was found shorter in obese subjects in the same age groups. This may deteriorate the functions of various organ systems that would lead to complications of obesity.