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Systematic review and meta‐analysis of the association between paediatric obesity and telomere length
Author(s) -
Lin Li,
Qin Kang,
Chen Dezhong,
Lu Ciyong,
Chen Weiqing,
Guo Vivian Yawei
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.15971
Subject(s) - meta analysis , medicine , confidence interval , overweight , obesity , odds ratio , subgroup analysis , telomere , study heterogeneity , strictly standardized mean difference , analysis of variance , demography , genetics , biology , dna , sociology
Aim This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to assess the association between paediatric obesity and telomere length. Methods We conducted a comprehensive literature search for original studies assessing the associations between obesity and telomere length in children. Fixed or random effects with inverse‐variance meta‐analysis were used to estimate the standardised mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) between overweight or obese and normal‐weight children. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 statistic, and meta‐regression analyses were used to evaluate the potential source of heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis was further conducted by sex. Results A total of 11 studies were included. The meta‐analysis showed that children who were overweight or obese had shorter telomere length than normal‐weight children (SMD: −0.85; 95% CI: −1.42 to −0.28; p < 0.01). However, significant heterogeneity was present (I 2 = 97%; p < 0.01). Study design, methods used for measuring telomere length, tissue types, mean age, and percentage of boys were not the source of heterogeneity revealed by meta‐regression analysis. The inverse trend was significant only in boys, but not in girls. Conclusion There was a negative association between paediatric obesity and telomere length. Weight control in children might have beneficial effect on telomere length.