Telomere Length Is Correlated with Resting Metabolic Rate and Aerobic Capacity in Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study investigated the associations between relative telomere length (RTL) and resting metabolic rate (RMR), resting fat oxidation (RFO), and aerobic capacity and whether oxidative stress and inflammation are the underlying mechanisms in sedentary women. We also aimed to determine whether the correlations depend on age and obesity. Sixty-eight normal weight and 66 obese women participated in this study. After adjustment for age, energy expenditure, energy intake, and education level, the RTL of all participants was negatively correlated with absolute RMR (RMRAB) and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentration, and positively correlated with maximum oxygen consumption (V˙O2max) (all p < 0.05). After additional adjustment for adiposity indices and fat-free mass (FFM), RTL was positively correlated with plasma vitamin C concentration (p < 0.05). Furthermore, after adjustment for fasting blood glucose concentration, RTL was negatively correlated with age and positively correlated with V˙O2max (mL/kg FFM/min). We found that normal weight women had longer RTL than obese women (p < 0.001). We suggest that RTL is negatively correlated with RMRAB and positively correlated with aerobic capacity, possibly via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Furthermore, age and obesity influenced the associations. We provide useful information for the management of promotion strategies for health-related physical fitness in women.

Effects of Irvingia gabonensis Extract on Metabolism, Antioxidants, Adipocytokines, Telomere Length, and Aerobic Capacity in Overweight/Obese Individuals.

We investigated the effects of Irvingia gabonensis (IG) kernel extract on the metabolism, adiposity indices, redox status, inflammation, adipocytokines, blood leukocyte relative telomere length (RTL), and aerobic capacity of overweight/obese individuals. All participants used the first 12-week phase to monitor body weight. They were then randomly divided into two groups: (1) 300 mg IG or (2) placebo (PLA). Both groups took one tablet per day for 12 weeks. The variables were measured before supplementation and after 3, 6, and 12 weeks of supplementation. RTL and aerobic capacity were measured before and after 12 weeks. Compared with the PLA, the IG increased plasma vitamin C after supplementation at 6 (p < 0.01) and 12 weeks (p < 0.05) and serum adiponectin after 3 weeks (p < 0.05). Compared with before supplementation, plasma malondialdehyde in the IG and serum leptin in the PLA were decreased after 12-week supplementation, without any differences between the groups. There were no differences between groups with respect to metabolism, inflammation, RTL, and aerobic capacity after the supplementation. We suggest that 12-week daily IG supplementation improved plasma vitamin C and adiponectin. The findings show the possible mechanism contributing to the effect of IG supplementation on a reduction in obesity-related complications.