Association of a Biomarker-Based Frailty Index with Telomere Length in Older American Adults: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2002

Abstract

Objectives: To study the link between frailty and cellular senescence, the authors examined the association of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with a recently introduced measure of subclinical frailty that is based entirely on laboratory test biomarkers (FI-LAB). Methods: This study was conducted on a random sample of 1,890 Americans aged ≥60 years. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between FI-LAB and LTL. Secondary analyses were performed to identify the individual biomarkers driving the association between FI-LAB and LTL. Results: A statistically significant association was found between FI-LAB and LTL after adjusting for multiple covariates, indicating that higher FI-LAB scores are associated with shorter telomeres. Secondary analyses revealed that this association is driven largely by a small number of FI-LAB biomarkers independently linked with telomere shortening. Conclusion: The study results established a link between subclinical frailty (FI-LAB) and cellular ageing, which may help elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms that give rise to frailty.

Keywords

• ageing
• frailty
• telomere length