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：

---

唾液端粒长度可以解释衰老过程中的种族/民族差异吗？


端粒长度 (TL) 是一种生物标志物，可用于表征衰老的变异性，并可以解释衰老中的种族/民族差异。然而，目前尚不清楚 TL 是否与多种族人群中与衰老相关的健康风险有关，或者它是否解释了健康方面的种族/民族差异。在 2008 年健康与退休研究中，我们研究了唾液 TL (STL) 是否可以解释 4,074 名 54 岁以上白人、黑人和拉丁裔老年人中 15 项高风险生物、身体和认知健康指标的种族/民族变异。使用定量 PCR（T/S 比）测定唾液中的 TL。逻辑回归模型的分解分析表明，STL 的变化并不能解释任何观察到的种族/民族健康差异。在年龄调整的种族分层模型中，STL 与白人中的 HDL、总胆固醇和肺功能相关，但与黑人或拉丁裔群体中的任何健康标志无关。在这个不同国家的老年人样本中，STL 没有考虑晚年健康方面的种族/民族差异，与白人中相对较少的健康指标相关，并且与黑人或拉丁裔群体中的健康指标无关。 STL 可能不是了解老年人人口老龄化的种族/民族差异的有用生物标志物。