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Plasma vitamin D biomarkers and leukocyte telomere length in men

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European Journal of Nutrition Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Vitamin D may reduce telomere shortening through anti-inflammatory and anti-cell proliferation mechanisms. In women, higher plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) has been shown to be associated with longer telomere length, but the relationship has not been assessed in men.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 25(OH)D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) and relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) among 2483 men [1832 men for 1,25(OH)2D] who were selected as cases and controls in three studies of telomeres and cancer nested within the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We also genotyped 95 SNPs representing common genetic variation in vitamin D pathway genes. LTL was measured by quantitative PCR, and z-scores within each study were calculated. Associations were assessed by linear as well as logistic regression adjusting for age and other potential confounders.

Results

Age (P-trend < 0.0001), pack-years of smoking (P-trend = 0.04) and body mass index (P-trend = 0.05) were inversely associated with LTL. Neither 25(OH)D nor 1,25(OH)2D was associated with LTL (multivariable-adjusted P-trend 0.69 and 0.41, respectively, for the linear regression model). One SNP in the retinoid X receptor alpha gene was associated with long LTL (P = 0.0003).

Conclusions

In this cross-sectional study of men, 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D were not associated with relative LTL.

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Abbreviations

25(OH)D:

25-Hydroxyvitamin D

1,25(OH)2D:

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D

CV:

Coefficients of variation

FFQ:

Food frequency questionnaire

HPFS:

Health Professionals Follow-up Study

LTL:

Leukocyte telomere length

MET:

Metabolic equivalent per week

qPCR:

Quantitative PCR

SNP:

Single nucleotide polymorphism

VDR:

Vitamin D receptor

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants and staff of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study for their valuable contributions as well as the following state cancer registries for their help: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WY. The authors would also like to thank Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham, and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and in addition Pati Soule, Esther Orr and Hardeep Ranu for their laboratory assistance. The Health Professionals Follow-up Study is supported by an infrastructure grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute (UM1 CA167552). BJ is also supported by a grant from the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare; IMS is supported by a Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program fellowship; IDV is supported by Grant R01 CA082838 and ELG is supported by Grant R01 CA133891 from the National Cancer Institute.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Bettina Julin, Jennifer Prescott, Edward L. Giovannucci & Immaculata De Vivo

  2. Program in Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Bettina Julin, Jennifer Prescott & Immaculata De Vivo

  3. Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Bettina Julin

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Irene M. Shui, Edward L. Giovannucci & Immaculata De Vivo

  5. Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Irene M. Shui

  6. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Edward L. Giovannucci

Authors
  1. Bettina Julin
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  2. Irene M. Shui
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  5. Immaculata De Vivo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Immaculata De Vivo.

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Ethical standards

This study was approved by the Human Subjects Committee of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health (NIH/NCI R01 CA133891), and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Julin, B., Shui, I.M., Prescott, J. et al. Plasma vitamin D biomarkers and leukocyte telomere length in men. Eur J Nutr 56, 501–508 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1095-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1095-7

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