| Title: | Independent and interaction effects of telomere length and life's essential 8 score on the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: Findings from a large prospective cohort study |
| Journal: | Maturitas |
| Published: | 22 Jan 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41616669/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2026.108828 |
Publication 18505
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the independent and joint effects of leukocyte telomere length and score on the Life's Essential 8 scale on type 2 diabetes mellitus risk using UK Biobank data.</p>
METHODS: A total of 309,288 participants without type 2 diabetes mellitus at baseline were included. Leukocyte telomere length was categorized into quartiles (Q1-Q4), and Life's Essential 8 scores into three groups: low (< 50 points), intermediate (50-79 points) and high (≥ 80 points). Cox proportional-hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for T2DM. Multiplicative and additive models assessed interactions between leukocyte telomere length and Life's Essential 8 score.</p>
RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 13.33 years, 9830 participants developed T2DM. Compared with group Q1, the risk of T2DM was reduced by 7% (HR = 0.93, 95%CI: 0.88, 0.99) in the Q4 group. Compared with the low Life's Essential 8 score group, the risk of T2DM was reduced by 70% (HR = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.29, 0.31) and 93% (HR = 0.07, 95%CI: 0.06, 0.08) in the intermediate and high score groups, respectively. The group with long leukocyte telomere length and high Life's Essential 8 score had the most significant reduction in T2DM risk compared with the group with short leukocyte telomere length and low Life's Essential 8 score (HR = 0.07, 95%CI: 0.05, 0.08). Both multiplicative (Pinteraction < 0.001) and additive interactions (S = 1.12, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.25) were observed between the effects of leukocyte telomere length and Life's Essential 8 score on T2DM.</p>
CONCLUSION: Elevated leukocyte telomere length and Life's Essential 8 scores synergistically reduce T2DM risk beyond their individual effects, underscoring the importance of integrated strategies that simultaneously target leukocyte telomere length maintenance and the optimization of cardiovascular-metabolic health in the prevention of T2DM.</p>
13 Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
- Female
- Humans
- Leukocytes
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Proportional Hazards Models
- Prospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Telomere
- Telomere Homeostasis
12 Authors
- Taifeng Chen
- Yaqin Su
- Li Yang
- Minqi Gu
- Jinliang Liang
- Kexin Li
- Yihao Shu
- Kaixin Chen
- Jinyuan Pang
- Dongsheng Hu
- Fulan Hu
- Ming Zhang
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