Figure 3.

Relative telomere lengths (T/S ratio) and the associations with age and body fat percentage. Telomere lengths measured from isolated PBMCs were significantly shorter in middle-aged compared to young adults (a). In addition, telomere lengths were negatively associated with increased age, body fat percentage, and circulating concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α (b–d). However, the relationship of telomere length with age and plasma TNF-α concentrations were no longer significant when after controlling for differences in body fat percentage. ∗ indicates a significant difference in middle-aged compared to young adults (p ≤ 0.05).