A dysfunctional family environment and a high body fat percentage negatively affect telomere length in Mexican boys aged 8-10 years.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether a direct relationship existed between absolute telomere length (aTL), obesity and familial functionality in a group of Mexican children.

Methods: We recruited 134 children (52% boys) aged 8-10 years during regular primary care check-ups in 2016 and evaluated physical activity (PA), feeding practices, anthropometrics, body fat percentage (BF%) and family dysfunction. Optimised quantitative PCR determined aTL from genomic deoxyribonucleic acid isolated from saliva samples.