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Nutritional Epidemiology

Category: Nutritional Epidemiology (II) (Poster Session)

Nutritional Epidemiology (II) (Poster Session)

(P26-05-26) Micronutrient Status Is Not Associated With Telomere Length Among Children Age 28 Months in Rural Bangladesh

Sunday, July 26, 2026
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM ET
Location: Poster Board C-52
Disclosure(s):
Sumukh P. Cadpakar, MS: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Juliet CS Ellenbach, B.S.: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Telomere length is a biomarker of cellular aging and may be linked to early-life nutritional exposures. We aimed to evaluate whether micronutrient status in early life is associated with telomere length at age 28 months in rural Bangladesh.

Methods: We conducted an observational analysis on a subset of children enrolled in the WASH Benefits trial. We analyzed concentrations of micronutrient biomarkers, including ferritin, hepcidin, soluble transferrin receptor, hemoglobin, retinol-binding protein, vitamin B12, and folate from plasma samples. Additionally, we evaluated micronutrient deficiencies using clinical thresholds. We measured whole blood relative telomere length at age 28 months. Relative telomere length was calculated as a T/S ratio and transformed into a z-score. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to estimate associations between micronutrients and telomere length. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors, household, maternal, and child factors.

Results: Among 704 children, micronutrient concentrations were not significantly associated with concurrent telomere length measurements (β range −0.187 to 0.103; all 95% CIs crossed the null; p = 0.15–0.97). Ferritin concentrations showed a non-significant positive association with telomere length (β= 0.098; p= 0.15). Similarly, micronutrient deficiencies, with prevalences ranging from 2.0% to 27.6%, were not significantly associated with telomere length (β range −0.158 to 0.143; all 95% CIs crossed the null; p = 0.43–0.84).

Conclusions: The lack of association may also reflect the timing of the telomere measurement, as micronutrient exposures may exert their strongest influence during earlier, more rapid, and plastic periods of growth and development. Further research is needed to clarify critical developmental windows in which micronutrient status may more strongly influence telomere biology.

Funding Sources: No external funding