During the 6-month intervention, the children lost weight and their average BMI decreased by about 1 unit. Waist circumference and triceps subcutaneous fat thickness also decreased. By her first year after completing the program, these changes had been partially reversed. (Although participants were encouraged to maintain their lifestyle changes at the end of the six-month intervention, it is common to return to old habits to some degree after a weight loss program ends, the scientists say.) pointed out)
From baseline to the end of the 6-month program, children’s average telomere length increased significantly. The following year, when their healthy habits and BMI began to reverse, the change in average telomere length reversed. The fact that the researchers followed the same children across three time points makes the results even more convincing, they said.
“Most of the research on telomeres has compared older people to younger people, or sick people to healthy people, at some point in time,” Robinson says. “Very few of these studies followed people over long periods of time, especially children.”
The researchers found that average telomere length varied independently of a variety of other measures, including social, psychological, behavioral, and physiological markers. This suggests that telomere length may be a sensitive biomarker of metabolic benefits from adopting healthy eating and physical activity patterns, the researchers said. . If there were a better way to measure these benefits, it would help motivate people who are trying to get healthier, and avoid focusing solely on weight, which some people feel is stigmatizing rather than motivating. You may be able to reduce your attachment.
“Telomere length appears to be a unique measure that doesn’t just reflect other changes we observe, and that’s why it could be a useful biomarker,” Robinson said. Further research is needed to confirm, but “we think that’s the measure,” he added. It can exceed BMI, blood sugar levels, and blood lipids. ”
Scientists said BMI (height-to-weight ratio) is a useful indicator but has been criticized for not always accurately reflecting an individual’s health status.
“I think understanding why obesity is important at a molecular level will help us focus on what’s important for health and what resources people need to become healthier. “Rekoff said.
Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco contributed to the study.
This research was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (grant R01 HL096015), the National Center for the Advancement of Translational Science, and the Stanford Clinical Translational Science Award Spectrum Award from the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute (grant ULI TR001085). Ta. , Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine.
