Circulation research
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Circulation research · Jul 2017
Observational StudyExploring the Causal Pathway From Telomere Length to Coronary Heart Disease: A Network Mendelian Randomization Study.
Observational studies have found shorter leukocyte telomere length (TL) to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), and recently the association was suggested to be causal. However, the relationship between TL and common metabolic risk factors for CHD is not well understood. Whether these risk factors could explain pathways from TL to CHD warrants further attention. ⋯ Overall, our findings support a role of insulin as a mediator on the causal pathway from shorter telomeres to CHD pathogenesis.