Kuo, C.-L.; Kirk, B.; Xiang, M.; Pilling, L.C.; Kuchel, G.A.; Kremer, R.; Duque, G. Very Low and High Levels of Vitamin D Are Associated with Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length in 148,321 UK Biobank Participants. Nutrients2023, 15, 1474.
Kuo, C.-L.; Kirk, B.; Xiang, M.; Pilling, L.C.; Kuchel, G.A.; Kremer, R.; Duque, G. Very Low and High Levels of Vitamin D Are Associated with Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length in 148,321 UK Biobank Participants. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1474.
Kuo, C.-L.; Kirk, B.; Xiang, M.; Pilling, L.C.; Kuchel, G.A.; Kremer, R.; Duque, G. Very Low and High Levels of Vitamin D Are Associated with Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length in 148,321 UK Biobank Participants. Nutrients2023, 15, 1474.
Kuo, C.-L.; Kirk, B.; Xiang, M.; Pilling, L.C.; Kuchel, G.A.; Kremer, R.; Duque, G. Very Low and High Levels of Vitamin D Are Associated with Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length in 148,321 UK Biobank Participants. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1474.
Abstract
Background: Shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is observed in multiple age-related diseases, which are also associated with vitamin D deficiency (i.e., osteosarcopenia, neurocognitive disorders, cancer, osteoarthritis, etc.), which suggests a close association. In this study, we examined the relationship between vitamin D levels and LTL in older participants of the UK Biobank. Methods: Data were collected from the UK Biobank. Participants aged 60 and older (n=148,321) were included. Baseline LTL was measured using a multiplex qPCR technique and expressed as the ratio of the telomere amplification product (T) to that of a single-copy gene (S) (T/S ratio). Se-rum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was stratified by z score and linked to LTL in a linear regression model adjusting for covariates. Results: Compared to the medium level, a low (in the range of 16.6 nmol/L, 29.7 nmol/L) or extremely low (≤ 16.6 nmol/L) level of serum 25OHD was associated with shorter LTL: 0.018 SD (standardized β= -0.018, 95% CI -0.033 to -0.003, P=0.022) and 0.048 SD (standardized β= -0.048, 95% CI -0.083 to -0.014, P=0.006), respectively. Additionally, the high serum 25OHD groups (> 95.9 nmol/L) had 0.038 SD (standardized β= -0.038, 95% CI -0.072 to -0.004, P=0.030) shorter mean LTL than the group with medium 25OHD levels. The associations above were adjusted for multiple variables. Conclusion: In this population-based study, we identified an inverted U-shape relationship between LTL and vitamin D status. Whether high or low vitamin D-associated shorter LTL is mechanistically related to age-related conditions remains to be elucidated.
Medicine and Pharmacology, Medicine and Pharmacology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
,
,
