Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker that can be used to characterize variability in aging and may explain race/ethnic differences in aging. Yet, it remains unclear if TL is related to aging-associated health risks in multi-ethnic populations or if it explains race/ethnic differences in health. We examine whether salivary TL (STL) explains any of the race/ethnic variability in 15 indicators of high-risk biological, physical and cognitive health among 4,074 white, black, and Latinx older adults ages 54+ in the 2008 Health and Retirement Study. TL was assayed from saliva using quantitative PCR (T/S ratio). Decomposition analyses from logistic regression models show variation in STL does not account for any of the observed race/ethnic differences health. In age-adjusted, race-stratified models, STL was associated with HDL, total cholesterol, and lung function among whites, but was not associated with any markers of health among black or Latinx groups. In this diverse national sample of older adults, STL does not account for race/ethnic differences in late life health, is associated with relatively few indicators of health among whites, and is not associated with indicators of health among black or Latinx groups. STL may not be a useful biomarker for understanding racial/ethnic differences in population aging among older adults.

中文翻译：

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唾液端粒长度能解释人种/种族差异吗？

端粒长度（TL）是一种生物标记，可用于表征衰老的变异性，并可以解释衰老的种族/种族差异。但是，尚不清楚TL是否与多族裔人口中与衰老相关的健康风险相关，还是它可以解释种族之间的健康差异。在2008年《健康与退休研究》中，我们检查了唾液TL（STL）是否解释了高风险的生物学，身体和认知健康的15种指标中的种族/种族变异，这些指标包括4,074名54岁以上的白人，黑人和拉丁裔老年人。使用定量PCR（T / S比）从唾液中检测出TL。从逻辑回归模型进行的分解分析表明，STL的差异并未解决任何观察到的种族/种族差异健康问题。在按年龄调整，按种族分层的模型中，STL与HDL，总胆固醇，白人的肺功能，但与黑人或拉丁裔人群的健康指标无关。在这个全国范围的老年人样本中，STL不能解释晚年健康方面的种族/种族差异，与白人之间相对较少的健康指标相关，并且与黑人或拉丁裔群体之间的健康指标无关。STL可能不是了解老年人群中种族/种族差异的有用生物标记。并且与黑人或拉丁裔人群的健康指标无关。STL可能不是了解老年人群中种族/种族差异的有用生物标记。并且与黑人或拉丁裔人群的健康指标无关。STL可能不是了解老年人群中种族/种族差异的有用生物标记。