Effects of Cardiorespiratory Fitness on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Telomere Length by Age and Obesity

BACKGROUND: This study investigates differences in telomere length according to obesity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, and fitness level in South Korean males. METHODS: The subjects of this study were males in their 10s to 50s (n=249). We measured obesity indices, CVD risk factors, leukocyte telomere length (LTL), and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Correlation and regression analyses were performed to analyze the data. RESULTS: Measurement of participants’ obesity indices, CVD risk factors, and maximum oxygen intake and analyzing their correlations with LTL revealed that LTL and CRF decreased with age and the levels and numbers of obesity indices and CVD risk factors increased. The LTL showed differences according to whether subjects exhibited obesity or dyslipidemia and by CRF level. When all the variables that influence the LTL were adjusted, the LTL became shorter as the age and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level increased, and it became longer as the maximum rate of oxygen utilization (VO2max) increased. When the age and CVD risk factors that influence the LTL were adjusted according to obesity and CRF for the obese group, the LTL became shorter as the age and LDL-C level increased (P<0.01), and it became longer as VO2max increased (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: We found that obesity influenced the LTL by increasing the levels of CVD risk factors and decreasing CRF, whereas maintaining high CRF could alleviate the effects of obesity and CVD risk factors according to age while maintaining and influencing the elongation of LTL.