ArticlePloS one2021
Longitudinal telomere length and body composition in healthy term-born infants during the first two years of life.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Leukocyte telomere length and obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in genetics · 2022Pooled it
- Maternal hypertension and telomere length are associated with weight for age Z score change from birth to 6 months of age in a predominantly Latinx cohort.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Association Between Adverse Early Life Factors and Telomere Length in Middle and Late Life.Innovation in aging · 2024Article
- Sub-optimal maternal gestational gain is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length at birth in a predominantly Latinx cohort of newborns.Maternal health, neonatology and perinatology · 2023Article
- Identifying effects of genetic obesity exposure on leukocyte telomere length using Mendelian randomization.PeerJ · 2023Article
- Demographic and health predictors of telomere length during adolescence.Developmental psychobiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveLeukocyte telomere length (LTL) is one of the markers of biological aging as shortening occurs over time. Shorter LTL has been associated with adiposity and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. The objective was to assess LTL and LTL shortening during the first 2 years of life in healthy, term-born infants and to associate LTL shortening with potential stressors and body composition. STUDY
designIn 145 healthy, term-born infants (85 boys), we measured LTL in blood, expressed as telomere to single-gene copy ratio (T/S ratio), at 3 months and 2 years by quantitative PCR technique. Fat mass (FM) was assessed longitudinally by PEAPOD, DXA, and abdominal FM by ultrasound.
resultsLTL decreased by 8.5% from 3 months to 2 years (T/S ratio 4.10 vs 3.75, p<0.001). LTL shortening from 3 months to 2 years associated with FM%(R = 0.254), FM index(R = 0.243) and visceral FM(R = 0.287) at 2 years. LTL shortening tended to associate with gain in FM% from 3 to 6 months (R = 0.155, p = 0.11), in the critical window for adiposity programming. There was a trend to a shorter LTL in boys at 2 years(p = 0.056). LTL shortening from 3 months to 2 years was not different between sexes.
conclusionWe present longitudinal LTL values and show that LTL shortens considerably (8.5%) during the first 2 years of life. LTL shortening during first 2 years of life was associated with FM%, FMI and visceral FM at age 2 years, suggesting that adverse adiposity programming in early life could contribute to more LTL shortening.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.