Telomere length of subcutaneous adipose tissue cells is shorter in obese and formerly obese subjects.

Obesity and increased fat mass are associated with increased adipocyte proliferation. Telomere length can serve as a biomarker of a cell's biological (vs chronological) age. To gain insight in the physiology of adipose tissue, we aimed to investigate telomere length in subcutaneous adipose tissue in relation to age and obesity. Telomere length was measured in 72 subcutaneous adipose tissue samples from 21 nonobese and 51 obese subjects. Telomere length of subcutaneous adipose tissue cells was negatively associated with body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure and fasting triglycerides. After controlling for age, fasting glucose, triglycerides and smoking status, BMI (P=0.009) contributed independently to 16% of telomere length variance. Interestingly, formerly obese patients (n=10) had shorter telomere length than never-obese subjects (n=12) of similar age, sex and BMI (7.1+/-1.3 vs 9.08+/-1.8 kb, P=0.01). In summary, adipose tissue cells from obese subjects show a shorter telomere length. The shorter telomere length of formerly obese subjects suggests that this is an established, irreversible feature of obesity that could contribute to its comorbidities.