scholarly journals Smoking does not accelerate leucocyte telomere attrition: a meta-analysis of 18 longitudinal cohorts

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 190420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Bateson ◽  
Abraham Aviv ◽  
Laila Bendix ◽  
Athanase Benetos ◽  
Yoav Ben-Shlomo ◽  
...  

Smoking is associated with shorter leucocyte telomere length (LTL), a biomarker of increased morbidity and reduced longevity. This association is widely interpreted as evidence that smoking causes accelerated LTL attrition in adulthood, but the evidence for this is inconsistent. We analysed the association between smoking and LTL dynamics in 18 longitudinal cohorts. The dataset included data from 12 579 adults (4678 current smokers and 7901 non-smokers) over a mean follow-up interval of 8.6 years. Meta-analysis confirmed a cross-sectional difference in LTL between smokers and non-smokers, with mean LTL 84.61 bp shorter in smokers (95% CI: 22.62 to 146.61). However, LTL attrition was only 0.51 bp yr −1 faster in smokers than in non-smokers (95% CI: −2.09 to 1.08), a difference that equates to only 1.32% of the estimated age-related loss of 38.33 bp yr −1 . Assuming a linear effect of smoking, 167 years of smoking would be required to generate the observed cross-sectional difference in LTL. Therefore, the difference in LTL between smokers and non-smokers is extremely unlikely to be explained by a linear, causal effect of smoking. Selective adoption, whereby individuals with short telomeres are more likely to start smoking, needs to be considered as a more plausible explanation for the observed pattern of telomere dynamics.

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 328-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirna N. Chahine ◽  
Simon Toupance ◽  
Sandy El-Hakim ◽  
Carlos Labat ◽  
Sylvie Gautier ◽  
...  

Short telomere length (TL) is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) and other age-related diseases. It is unclear whether these associations originate from having inherently short TL or a faster TL attrition before or during disease development. We proposed the blood-and-muscle model to assess TL dynamics throughout life course. Our objective was to measure TL in leukocytes (LTL) and in skeletal muscle (MTL), which served as a proxy of TL at birth. The delta (MTL–LTL) represented life-long telomere attrition. Blood draws and skeletal muscle biopsies were performed on 35 Lebanese individuals undergoing surgery. Following DNA extraction, LTL and MTL were measured by Southern blot. In every individual aged between 30 and 85 years, MTL was longer than LTL. With age, MTL and LTL decreased, but the delta (MTL–LTL) increased by 14 bp/year. We validated the blood-and-muscle model that allowed us to identify TL, TL at birth, and lifelong TL attrition in a cross-sectional study. This model can be used in larger cross-sectional studies to evaluate the association of telomere dynamics with age-related diseases onset and progression.


2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. e23-e31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Parolin ◽  
Francesca Dassie ◽  
Luigi Alessio ◽  
Alexandra Wennberg ◽  
Marco Rossato ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder characterized by upper airway collapse requiring nocturnal ventilatory assistance. Multiple studies have investigated the relationship between acromegaly and OSA, reporting discordant results. Aim To conduct a meta-analysis on the risk for OSA in acromegaly, and in particular to assess the role of disease activity and the effect of treatments. Methods and Study Selection A search through literature databases retrieved 21 articles for a total of 24 studies (n = 734). Selected outcomes were OSA prevalence and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in studies comparing acromegalic patients with active (ACT) vs inactive (INACT) disease and pretreatment and posttreatment measures. Factors used for moderator and meta-regression analysis included the percentage of patients with severe OSA, patient sex, age, body mass index, levels of insulin-like growth factor 1, disease duration and follow-up, and therapy. Results OSA prevalence was similar in patients with acromegaly who had ACT and INACT disease (ES = −0.16; 95% CI, −0.47 to 0.15; number of studies [k] = 10; P = 0.32). In addition, AHI was similar in ACT and INACT acromegaly patients (ES = −0.03; 95% CI, −0.49 to 0.43; k = 6; P = 0.89). When AHI was compared before and after treatment in patients with acromegaly (median follow-up of 6 months), a significant improvement was observed after treatment (ES = −0.36; 95% CI, −0.49 to −0.23; k = 10; P < 0.0001). In moderator analysis, the percentage of patients with severe OSA in the populations significantly influenced the difference in OSA prevalence (P = 0.038) and AHI (P = 0.04) in ACT vs INACT patients. Conclusion Prevalence of OSA and AHI is similar in ACT and INACT patients in cross-sectional studies. However, when AHI was measured longitudinally before and after treatment, a significant improvement was observed after treatment.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Gott ◽  
Clare Andrews ◽  
Maria Larriva Hormigos ◽  
Karen Spencer ◽  
Melissa Bateson ◽  
...  

The responsiveness of the avian stress system declines with age. A recently published study of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) found that a marker of biological age predicted stress responsiveness even in individuals of the same chronological age. Specifically, birds that had experienced greater developmental telomere attrition showed a lower peak corticosterone response to an acute stressor, and more rapid recovery of corticosterone levels towards baseline. Here, we performed a follow-up study using the same capture-restraint-handling stressor in a separate cohort of 27 starlings. Unlike the original study, we measured the response at two different age points (4 and 18 months). We did not replicate the associations with developmental telomere attrition observed in the previous study at either age point. However, a meta-analysis of the present results combined with those of the earlier study still lent some support to the conclusions of the earlier paper. Estimates of familial influence on stress responsiveness differed across the two age points. We found little evidence of individual consistency in stress responsiveness between 4 and 18 months. Peak corticosterone was significantly lower at the second age point than the first, though interpretation of this as age-related decline is problematic due to the samples having been analysed at different times.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Gott ◽  
Clare Andrews ◽  
Maria Larriva Hormigos ◽  
Karen Spencer ◽  
Melissa Bateson ◽  
...  

The responsiveness of the avian stress system declines with age. A recently published study of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) found that a marker of biological age predicted stress responsiveness even in individuals of the same chronological age. Specifically, birds that had experienced greater developmental telomere attrition showed a lower peak corticosterone response to an acute stressor, and more rapid recovery of corticosterone levels towards baseline. Here, we performed a follow-up study using the same capture-restraint-handling stressor in a separate cohort of 27 starlings. Unlike the original study, we measured the response at two different age points (4 and 18 months). We did not replicate the associations with developmental telomere attrition observed in the previous study at either age point. However, a meta-analysis of the present results combined with those of the earlier study still lent some support to the conclusions of the earlier paper. Estimates of familial influence on stress responsiveness differed across the two age points. We found little evidence of individual consistency in stress responsiveness between 4 and 18 months. Peak corticosterone was significantly lower at the second age point than the first, though interpretation of this as age-related decline is problematic due to the samples having been analysed at different times.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1544-1554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Canudas ◽  
Nerea Becerra-Tomás ◽  
Pablo Hernández-Alonso ◽  
Serena Galié ◽  
Cindy Leung ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Accelerated telomere shortening has been associated with several age-related diseases and/or decreased lifespan in humans. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is considered to be 1 of the most recognized diets for disease prevention and healthy aging, partially due to its demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties which may impact on telomere length (TL). The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the associations between MedDiet adherence and TL maintenance. MEDLINE-PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched up to December 2018 for studies evaluating the association between MedDiet adherence and TL in blood cells. Two reviewers, working independently, screened all titles and abstracts to identify studies that met the inclusion criteria [cross-sectional, case-control, and prospective cohort studies and randomized clinical trials (RCTs) published in English and excluded nonoriginal articles]. Data were pooled by the generic inverse variance method using the random effects model and expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD). Heterogeneity was identified using the Cochran Q test and quantified by the I2 statistic. A total of 8 original cross-sectional studies were included for the quantitative meta-analysis, comprising a total of 13,733 participants from 5 countries. A positive association between adherence to the MedDiet and TL was observed in all meta-analyses, with the exception of those conducted only in men: SMD (95% CI) of 0.130 (0.029; 0.231) for all subjects, 0.078 (0.005; 0.152) for women, and 0.095 (–0.005; 0.195) for men. Only 1 prospective cohort study and 1 RCT were identified, therefore, we could not undertake a meta-analysis for these study designs. The present meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies demonstrates that higher MedDiet adherence is associated with longer TL. At the same time, larger and high-quality prospective studies and clinical trials are warranted to confirm this association.


Author(s):  
Justus G. Garweg ◽  
Christin Gerhardt

Abstract Purpose To assess disease stability (absence of intra- and/or subretinal fluid) and the portion of eyes being capable to extend their treatment interval to ≥ 12 weeks in exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods A systematic literature search was performed in NCBI, PubMed, CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify clinical studies reporting treatment outcomes for ranibizumab, aflibercept, and brolucizumab in exudative AMD under a treat-and-extend protocol and a follow-up of ≥ 12 months. Weighted mean differences and subgroup comparisons were used to integrate the different studies. Results This meta-analysis refers to 29 published series, including 27 independent samples and 5629 patients. In the pooled group, disease stability was reported in 62.9% and 56.0%, respectively, after 12 and 24 months of treatment, whereas treatment intervals were extended to ≥ 12 weeks in 37.7% and 42.6%, respectively. Ranibizumab, aflibercept, and brolucizumab differed regarding their potential to achieve disease stability (56.3%, 64.5%, and 71.5% after 12, and 50.0%, 52.7% and 75.7% after 24 months; p = < 0.001) and to allow an interval extension to ≥ 12 weeks (28.6%, 34.2%, and 53.3% after 12, and 34.2%, 47.7%, and 41.7% after 24 months; p = < 0.001). Conclusion The portion of eyes achieving disease stability regressed in the second year, whereas the portion of eyes under a ≥ 12-week interval increased. This discrepancy may reflect the challenges in balancing between under-treatment and a reduced treatment burden.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (3) ◽  
pp. H829-H834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa M. Wilson ◽  
Hirofumi Tanaka

Based on cross-sectional data, we recently reported that, in contrast to the prevailing view, the rate of decline in maximal oxygen consumption (V˙o 2 max) with age is greater in physically active compared with sedentary healthy women. We tested this hypothesis in men using a meta-analytic study ofV˙o 2 max values in the published literature. A total of 242 studies (538 subject groups and 13,828 subjects) met the inclusion criteria and were arbitrarily separated into sedentary (214 groups, 6,231 subjects), active (159 groups, 5,621 subjects), and endurance-trained (165 groups, 1,976 subjects) populations. Body fat percent increased with age in sedentary and active men ( P < 0.001), whereas no change was observed in endurance-trained men.V˙o 2 max was inversely and strongly related to age within each population ( r = −0.80 to −0.88, all P < 0.001) and was highest in endurance-trained and lowest in sedentary populations at any age. Absolute rates of decline inV˙o 2 max with age were not different ( P > 0.05) in sedentary (−4.0 ml ⋅ kg−1 ⋅ min−1 ⋅ decade−1), active (−4.0), and endurance-trained (−4.6) populations. Similarly, there were no group differences ( P > 0.05) in the relative (%) rates of decline inV˙o 2 max with advancing age (−8.7, −7.3, and −6.8%/decade, respectively). Maximal heart rate was inversely related to age within each population ( r = −0.88 to −0.93, all P < 0.001), but the rate of age-related reduction was not different among the populations. There was a significant decline in running mileage and speed with advancing age in the endurance-trained men. The present cross-sectional meta-analytic findings do not support the hypothesis that the rate of decline inV˙o 2 max with age is related to habitual aerobic exercise status in men.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Max Vetter ◽  
Christian Humberto Kalies ◽  
Yasmine Sommerer ◽  
Dominik Spira ◽  
Johanna Drewelies ◽  
...  

AbstractDNA methylation age acceleration (DNAmAA, derived from an epigenetic clock) and relative leukocyte telomere length (rLTL) are widely accepted biomarkers of aging. Nevertheless, it is still unclear which aspects of aging they represent best. Here we evaluated longitudinal associations between baseline rLTL and DNAmAA (estimated with 7-CpG clock) and functional assessments covering different domains of aging. Additionally, we made use of cross-sectional data on these assessments and examined their association with DNAmAA estimated by five different DNAm age measures.Two-wave longitudinal data was available for 1,083 participants of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) who were re-examined on average 7.4 years after baseline as part of the GendAge study. Functional outcomes were assessed with Fried’s frailty score, Tinetti mobility test, falls in the past 12 months (yes/no), Finger-floor distance, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumented ADL (IADL) and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA).Overall, we found no evidence for an association between the molecular biomarkers measured at baseline, rLTL and DNAmAA (7-CpG clock), and functional assessments assessed at follow-up. Similarly, a cross-sectional analyses of follow-up data did also not show evidence for associations of the various DNAmAA measures (7-CpG clock, Horvath’s clock, Hannum’s clock PhenoAge, and GrimAge) with functional assessments.In conclusion, neither rLTL nor 7-CpG DNAmAA were able to predict impairment in the analyzed assessments over a ∼7 year time-course. Similarly, DNAmAA as estimated by five epigenetic clocks was not a good cross-sectional marker of health deterioration either.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanfang Peng ◽  
Qin Zhu ◽  
Biye Wang ◽  
Jie Ren

Background Working memory updating (WMU), a controlled process to continuously adapt to the changing task demand and environment, is crucial for cognitive executive function. Although previous studies have shown that the elderly were more susceptible to cognitive interference than the youngsters, the picture of age-related deterioration of WMU is incomplete due to lack of study on people at their middle ages. Thus, the present study investigated the impact of age on the WMU among adults by a cross-sectional design to verify whether inefficiency interference control accounts for the aging of WMU. Methods In total, 112 healthy adults were recruited for this study; 28 old adults (21 female) ranging from 60 to 78 years of age; 28 middle-age adults (25 female) ranging from 45 to 59 years of age; 28 adults (11 female) ranging from 26 to 44 years of age; and 28 young adults (26 female) ranging from 18 to 25 years of age. Each participant completed a 1-back task. The inverse efficiency score was calculated in various sequences of three trials in a row to quantify the performance of WMU for adults of various ages. Results Inverse efficiency score of both young groups (young adult and adult) were significantly shorter than the old group in both Repeat-Alternate (RA, including □□○ and ○○□) and Alternate-Alternate (AA, including ○□○ and □○□) sequential patterns and they were additionally better than the middle-age group in AA sequential pattern. Conclusion With the increase of difficulty in the task, the difference in reactive interference control between young and middle age was gradually revealed, while the difference between young and old remained to apparent. The degradation of WMU aging may begin from middle-age and presents selective impairment in that only reactive interference control, but not proactive interference control, shows pronounced age-related decline. The preliminary results can inform future studies to further explore the whole lifespan trajectories of cognitive functions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Wang ◽  
Yun-Feng Cao ◽  
Xiao-Yu Sun ◽  
Mo Hong ◽  
Zhong-Ze Fang ◽  
...  

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship of amino acid metabolism with hypertriglyceridemia in diabetic patients under statins free of prior cardiovascular diseases.Methods: Two independent cross-sectional hospital based cohorts, i.e., Liaoning Medical University First Affiliated Hospital (LMUFAH, n = 146) and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University (SAHDMU, n = 294) were included in the current analysis. Hypertriglyceridemia was defined as triglyceride ≥1.7 mmol/L, and well-controlled LDL-C was defined as &lt;2.6 mmol/L. The adjusted ORs (95% CI) of circulating metabolic measures for hypertriglyceridemia were assessed using logistic regression. Pooled results of metabolites with the same direction of association in both cohorts were combined using inverse variance-weighted fixed-effect meta-analysis. Difference of identified metabolites in patients with and without hypertriglyceridemia were also obtained in the context of LDL-C.Results: Patients, 86 and 106, were with hypertriglyceridemia in LMUFAH and SAHDMU, respectively. We observed that elevated alanine, asparagine, leucine, and valine were consistently associated with increased hypertriglyceridemia in both cohorts. In fixed-effect pooled analysis, the OR (95% CI) per SD increase was 1.71 (1.32–2.20) for alanine, 1.62 (1.20–2.19) for asparagine, 1.64 (1.22–2.20) for leucine, and 1.62 (1.22–2.13) for valine (all P values ranged from 0.0018 to &lt;0.0001); adjusting for C-peptide attenuated effect sizes of Ala, Leu, and Val for hypertriglyceridemia. The difference were robust in groups with well- or bad-controlled LDL-C.Conclusion: Among 23 amino acids, alanine, asparagine, leucine, and valine were positively associated with increased residual risk of hypertriglyceridemia in diabetic patients with statin treatment.


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