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Priority Research Paper|Volume 8, Issue 8|pp 1583—1592

Impact of biological aging on arterial aging in American Indians: findings from the Strong Heart Family Study

Hao Peng1, Yun Zhu1, Fawn Yeh2, Shelley A. Cole3, Lyle G. Best4, Jue Lin5, Elizabeth Blackburn5, Richard B. Devereux6, Mary J. Roman6, Elisa T. Lee2, Barbara V. Howard7, Jinying Zhao1
  • 1Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health, New Orleans, LA 70112,
  • 2Center for American Indian Health Research, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
  • 3Department of Genetics, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
  • 4Missouri Breaks Industries Research Inc, Timber Lake, SD 57656, USA
  • 5Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
  • 6Greenberg Division of Cardiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
  • 7MedStar Health Research Institute, Hyattsville, MD 20782, USA
Received: May 23, 2016Accepted: July 28, 2016Published: August 11, 2016
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.101013

Abstract

Telomere length, a marker of biological aging, has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Increased arterial stiffness, an indicator of arterial aging, predicts adverse CVD outcomes. However, the relationship between telomere length and arterial stiffness is less well studied. Here we examined the cross-sectional association between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and arterial stiffness in 2,165 American Indians in the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS). LTL was measured by qPCR. Arterial stiffness was assessed by stiffness index β. The association between LTL and arterial stiffness was assessed by generalized estimating equation model, adjusting for sociodemographics (age, sex, education level), study site, metabolic factors (fasting glucose, lipids, systolic blood pressure, and kidney function), lifestyle (BMI, smoking, drinking, and physical activity), and prevalent CVD. Results showed that longer LTL was significantly associated with a decreased arterial stiffness (β=-0.070, P=0.007). This association did not attenuate after further adjustment for hsCRP (β=-0.071, P=0.005) or excluding participants with overt CVD (β=-0.068, P=0.012), diabetes (β=-0.070, P=0.005), or chronic kidney disease (β=-0.090, P=0.001). In summary, shorter LTL was significantly associated with an increased arterial stiffness, independent of known risk factors. This finding may shed light on the potential role of biological aging in arterial aging in American Indians.