Associations Between Telomere Length and Insulin Resistance in American Adults：A Cross-Sectional Study from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002

Abstract BackgroundSome previous studies seemed to confirm a link between telomere length and many chronic diseases, but in recent years, a growing body of evidence has shown a weak link between telomere length and some chronic diseases. In previous studies insulin resistance has been listed as a sign of arterial aging, diabetes, and especially atherosclerosis. However, there is insufficient evidence that telomere length is associated with insulin resistance in US adults. Therefore, we tried to find evidence of telomere length and insulin resistance based on the NHANES1999-2002 database.MethodsWe used multiple logistic regression analysis to test the relationship between telomere length and insulin resistance, and drew a smooth fitting curve between telomere length and insulin resistance without adjustment. At the same time, groups of people were divided according to age, gender, race, etc., and multivariate Logistic analysis was conducted after adjusting covariables to test the association between telomere length and insulin resistance in different groups.ResultsIn this study, after the adjustment of covariables. Telomere length was not associated with insulin resistance in U.S. adults and was not statistically significant.ConclusionsSince there is a significant association between insulin resistance and race, further investigation and study is needed to determine whether telomere length is related to the risk of insulin resistance in other populations. At the same time, more research is needed to explore the link between telomeres and chronic disease in the future.