Diet, lifestyle and telomere length: using Copula Graphical Models on NHANES data

Area of Science:

• Biogerontology
• Human Health
• Aging Research

Background:

• Telomere length is a biomarker for aging and health.
• Previous studies examined limited variables, often based on pre-set hypotheses.
• A comprehensive analysis of factors influencing telomere length is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the associations between various lifestyle and health factors and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) across different age groups.
• To identify potential mediators in the relationship between lifestyle factors and LTL.
• To utilize a data-driven approach for hypothesis generation.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 1999-2002 data (n=7096).
• Participants stratified into Young (20-39), Middle (40-59), and Old (60-84) age groups.
• Copula Graphical Modelling (CGM) applied to analyze variable interrelationships, with certainty and sensitivity analyses.

Main Results:

• Blood C-reactive protein, γ-tocopherol, and dietary intake of caffeine and fibers showed inverse associations with LTL across all age strata.
• Factors like sex, race, smoking, physical activity, and socioeconomic status had minimal direct links to LTL.
• These factors were directly associated with C-reactive protein, suggesting it as a potential mediator.

Conclusions:

• C-reactive protein emerges as a key mediator linking lifestyle and demographic factors to leukocyte telomere length.
• Dietary factors (caffeine, fiber) and blood markers (C-reactive protein, γ-tocopherol) are significantly associated with LTL.
• This study provides a network-based understanding of factors influencing telomere length, highlighting C-reactive protein's central role.