Leukocyte telomere length is associated with MRI-thigh fat-free muscle volume: data from 16 356 UK Biobank adults

Ben Kirk; Chia-Ling Kuo; Peiran Liu; Meiruo Xiang; Jacob E Earp; Jatupol Kositsawat; George A Kuchel; Gustavo Duque

doi:10.1002/jcsm.13461

Leukocyte telomere length is associated with MRI-thigh fat-free muscle volume: data from 16 356 UK Biobank adults

J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2024 Mar 29. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13461. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ben Kirk^{1

2}, Chia-Ling Kuo^{3

4}, Peiran Liu³, Meiruo Xiang³, Jacob E Earp⁴, Jatupol Kositsawat⁴, George A Kuchel⁴, Gustavo Duque^{1

2

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Western Health, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
² Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), University of Melbourne and Western Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
³ The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT, USA.
⁴ UConn Center on Aging, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA.
⁵ Bone, Muscle & Geroscience Group, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
⁶ Dr. Joseph Kaufmann Chair in Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

PMID: 38553835
DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.13461

Abstract

Background: Telomere attrition may share common biological mechanisms with bone and muscle loss with aging. Here, we investigated the association between these hallmarks of aging using data from UK Biobank, a large observational study.

Methods: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL as T/S ratio) was measured using a multiplex qPCR assay at baseline (2006-2010). Bone mineral density (whole body and regional; via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), trabecular bone score (via lumbar-spine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry images), fat-free muscle volume (thighs; via magnetic resonance imaging), and muscle fat infiltration (thighs; via magnetic resonance imaging) were measured during the imaging visit (2014-2018). Regression models were used to model LTL against a muscle or bone outcome, unadjusted and adjusted for covariates.

Results: A total of 16 356 adults (mean age: 62.8 ± 7.5 years, 50.5% women) were included. In the fully adjusted model, thigh fat-free muscle volume was associated with LTL in the overall sample (adjusted standardized β (aβ) = 0.017, 95% CI 0.009 to 0.026, P < 0.001, per SD increase in LTL), with stronger associations in men (aβ = 0.022, 95% CI 0.010 to 0.034, P < 0.001) than in women (aβ = 0.013, 95% CI 0.000 to 0.025, P = 0.041) (sex-LTL P = 0.028). The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for low thigh fat-free muscle volume (body mass index-adjusted, sex-specific bottom 20%) was 0.93 per SD increase in LTL (95% CI 0.89 to 0.96, P < 0.001) in the overall sample, with stronger associations in men (aOR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.99, P = 0.008) than women (aOR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.98, P = 0.009), although the sex difference was not statistically significant in this model (sex-LTL P = 0.37). LTL was not associated with bone mineral density, trabecular bone score, or muscle fat infiltration in the overall or subgroup analyses (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: LTL was consistently associated with thigh fat-free muscle volume in men and women. Future research should investigate moderating effects of lifestyle factors (e.g., physical activity, nutrition, or chronic diseases) in the association between LTL and muscle volume.

Keywords: Cellular senescence; Osteosarcopenia; Skeletal muscle; Trabecular bone.

Abstract

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