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The telomere is a repetitive noncoding part of DNA located at the extreme ends of the chromosome, which shorten gradually with age. They are considered a biological marker of aging and health in general. Studies show that shortening of telomere length may be associated with dying regardless of cause, or all-cause mortality. However, previous studies have not found an association of telomere length with cardiovascular (CVD)- or cancer-specific mortality risk in U.S. adults 50 years and older.
For a study published in the Annals of Epidemiology, Distinguished Professor Luisa N. Borrell and doctoral student Hanish Kodali used data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the 2015 Linked Mortality File on adults 25 years or older to examine whether there was an association of leucocyte telomere length (LTL) with all-cause, CVD- and cancer-specific mortality risks among U.S. adults. The authors then examined whether these associations vary with race/ethnicity and age.
After adjustment for selected sociodemographic factors and health-related characteristics, the rate of dying of all-cause and CVD-specific mortality was at least 24 percent lower for a one-kilobase increase in telomere length. When compared with adults with the shortest telomere, the rates of dying were at least 17 percent lower for all-cause and CVD-specific mortality for those with longer telomere. For all-cause mortality, increase LTL was associated with lower rate of dying among non-Hispanic Blacks 45 years or older, and non-Hispanic Whites 65 years or older.
“We found that increase telomere length was associated with lower all-cause and CVD-specific mortality rates among US adults,” Kodali says. “However, further research is needed to evaluate the causal mechanism for this association across racial/ethnic adults over their lifetime.”
“It is worth noting that the association of telomere length with all-cause mortality varies with race/ethnicity and age,” says Borrell. “For example, a higher risk of all-cause mortality associated with a decrease in telomere length was observed among older non-Hispanic Whites. In contrast, high risks of dying were observed at a younger age for non-Hispanic Blacks, starting at 45 years of age.”
