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Race/ethnicity and telomere length in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

  1. Ana V. Diez Roux1,
  2. Nalini Ranjit1,
  3. Nancy S. Jenny2,
  4. Steven Shea3,
  5. Mary Cushman2,4,
  6. Annette Fitzpatrick5,
  7. Teresa Seeman6

Article first published online: 17 MAR 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2009.00470.x

Issue

Aging Cell

Aging Cell

Volume 8, Issue 3, pages 251–257, June 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Diez Roux, A. V., Ranjit, N., Jenny, N. S., Shea, S., Cushman, M., Fitzpatrick, A. and Seeman, T. (2009), Race/ethnicity and telomere length in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Aging Cell, 8: 251–257. doi: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2009.00470.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Epidemiology, Center for Integrative Approaches to Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Colchester, VT, USA

  3. 3

    Department of Medicine, Columbia University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  4. 4

    Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, Colchester, VT, USA

  5. 5

    Collaborative Health Studies Coordinating Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

  6. 6

    Department of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

*Ana V. Diez Roux, Center for Integrative Approaches to Health Disparities, University of Michigan, SPH Tower Rm 3671, 109 South Observatory Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Tel.: +1 734 615 9204; fax: +1 734 763 5706; e-mail: adiezrou@umich.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 26 MAY 2009
  2. Article first published online: 17 MAR 2009
  3. Accepted for publication 16 February 2009

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Keywords:

  • aging;
  • race/ethnicity;
  • telomeres

Summary

Telomere length has emerged as a marker of exposure to oxidative stress and aging. Race/ethnic differences in telomere length have been infrequently investigated. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was assessed 981 white, black and Hispanic men and women aged 45–84 years participating in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Direct measurement and questionnaire were used to assess covariates. Linear regression was used to estimate associations of LTL with race/ethnicity and age after adjustment for sex, income, education, smoking, physical activity, diet and body mass index. On average blacks and Hispanics had shorter telomeres than whites [adjusted mean differences (standard error) in T/S ratio compared to whites: −0.041 (0.018) for blacks and −0.044 (0.018) for Hispanics]. Blacks and Hispanics showed greater differences in telomere length associated with age than whites (adjusted mean differences in T/S ratio per 1 year increase in age −0.0018, −0.0047 and −0.0055 in whites, blacks and Hispanics respectively). Differences in age associations were more pronounced and only statistically significant in women. Race/ethnic differences in LTL may reflect the cumulative burden of differential exposure to oxidative stress (and its predictors) over the lifecourse.

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