Longer Leukocyte Telomeres Are Associated with Ultra-Endurance Exercise Independent of Cardiovascular Risk Factors |
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Authors: | Joshua Denham Christopher P Nelson Brendan J O’Brien Scott A Nankervis Matthew Denniff Jack T Harvey Francine Z Marques Veryan Codd Ewa Zukowska-Szczechowska Nilesh J Samani Maciej Tomaszewski Fadi J Charchar |
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Institution: | 1. School of Health Sciences, University of Ballarat, Mt Helen, Australia.; 2. Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, United Kingdom.; 3. Department of Internal Medicine, Diabetology and Nephrology, Medical University of Silesia, Zabrze, Poland.; University of Newcastle, United Kingdom, |
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Abstract: | Telomere length is recognized as a marker of biological age, and shorter mean leukocyte telomere length is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is unclear whether repeated exposure to ultra-endurance aerobic exercise is beneficial or detrimental in the long-term and whether it attenuates biological aging. We quantified 67 ultra-marathon runners’ and 56 apparently healthy males’ leukocyte telomere length (T/S ratio) using real-time quantitative PCR. The ultra-marathon runners had 11% longer telomeres (T/S ratio) than controls (ultra-marathon runners: T/S ratio = 3.5±0.68, controls: T/S ratio = 3.1±0.41; β = 0.40, SE = 0.10, P = 1.4×10−4) in age-adjusted analysis. The difference remained statistically significant after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (P = 2.2×10−4). The magnitude of this association translates into 16.2±0.26 years difference in biological age and approximately 324–648bp difference in leukocyte telomere length between ultra-marathon runners and healthy controls. Neither traditional cardiovascular risk factors nor markers of inflammation/adhesion molecules explained the difference in leukocyte telomere length between ultra-marathon runners and controls. Taken together these data suggest that regular engagement in ultra-endurance aerobic exercise attenuates cellular aging. |
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