Early emergence of sexual dimorphism in offspring leukocyte telomere length was associated with maternal and children’s glucose metabolism—a longitudinal study
Kwun Kiu Wong,
Feifei Cheng,
Cadmon K. P. Lim,
Claudia H. T. Tam,
Greg Tutino,
Lai Yuk Yuen,
Chi Chiu Wang,
Yong Hou,
Michael H. M. Chan,
Chung Shun Ho,
Mugdha V. Joglekar,
Anandwardhan A. Hardikar,
Alicia J. Jenkins,
Boyd E. Metzger,
William L. Lowe,
Wing Hung Tam,
Ronald C. W. Ma
Affiliations
Kwun Kiu Wong
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Feifei Cheng
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Cadmon K. P. Lim
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Claudia H. T. Tam
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Greg Tutino
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Lai Yuk Yuen
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chi Chiu Wang
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Yong Hou
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Michael H. M. Chan
Department of Chemical Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chung Shun Ho
Department of Chemical Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Mugdha V. Joglekar
Diabetes and Islet Biology Group, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University
Anandwardhan A. Hardikar
Diabetes and Islet Biology Group, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University
Alicia J. Jenkins
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Boyd E. Metzger
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
William L. Lowe
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Wing Hung Tam
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Ronald C. W. Ma
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Abstract Background Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is suggested to be a biomarker of biological age and reported to be associated with metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Glucose metabolic traits including glucose and insulin levels have been reported to be associated with LTL in adulthood. However, there is relatively little research focusing on children’s LTL and the association with prenatal exposures. This study investigates the relationship between maternal and offspring glucose metabolism with offspring LTL in early life. Methods This study included 882 mother-child pairs from the HAPO Hong Kong Field Centre, with children evaluated at age 7.0 ± 0.4 (mean ± SD) years. Glucose metabolic traits including maternal post-load glucose during pregnancy, children’s glucose and insulin levels, and their derived indices at follow-up were measured or calculated. Offspring LTL was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results Sex- and age-adjusted children’s LTL was found to be associated with children’s HOMA-IR (β=−0.046 ± 0.016, p=0.005). Interestingly, both children’s and maternal post-load glucose levels were positively associated with children’s LTL. However, negative associations were observed between children’s LTL and children’s OGTT insulin levels. In addition, the LTL in females was more strongly associated with pancreatic beta-cell function whilst LTL in males was more strongly associated with OGTT glucose levels. Conclusions Our findings suggest a close association between maternal and offspring glucose metabolic traits with early life LTL, with the offspring sex as an important modifier of the disparate relationships in insulin production and response.
