Short leukocyte telomere length and high plasma phospholipid fatty acids increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

ABSTRACT

In the last forty years, there has been a notable rise in the occurrence of diabetes within China, leading to the country now having the highest number of individuals affected by this condition globally. This prospective observational study examined the effect of different baseline relative leukocyte telomere length (RTL) and the combined effect of baseline RTL and plasma phospholipid fatty acid (PPFA) on the risk of developing diabetes. Adults from Ningxia Province who underwent baseline and follow-up surveys were included in the study. The correlation between the baseline RTL and PPFA was investigated using a multiple linear regression model. The combined effect of baseline RTL and PPFA levels on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were investigated using a cox regression model with time as the covariate. A total of 1461 study subjects were included in this study. 141 subjects developed T2DM during the follow-up period. The baseline age was negatively correlated with RTL.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that C160 and MUFA concentrations influenced RTL. Subjects with shorter RTL at baseline had a higher risk of developing diabetes than those with longer RTL. Subjects with shorter RTL and higher C160 and MUFA concentrations at baseline had a higher risk of developing T2DM than those with longer RTL and lower C160 and MUFA concentrations. Our findings indicated that PPFA affects changes in RTL. In addition, RTL and PPFA are associated with the occurrence of T2DM.