Tracking and fixed ranking of leukocyte telomere length across the adult life course |
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| Authors: | Athanase Benetos Jeremy D Kark Ezra Susser Masayuki Kimura Ronit Sinnreich Wei Chen Troels Steenstrup Kaare Christensen Utz Herbig Jacob von Bornemann Hjelmborg Sathanur R Srinivasan Gerald S Berenson Carlos Labat Abraham Aviv |
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| Institution: | 1. Geriatric Service, Nancy University Hospital, , Nancy, 54511 France;2. Inserm U1116, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Lorraine, , Nancy, 54500 France;3. The Hebrew University–Hadassah School of Public Health and Community Medicine, , Ein Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel;4. Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, , New York, NY, 10032 USA;5. New York State Psychiatric Institute, , New York, NY, 10032 USA;6. The Center of Human Development and Aging, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, , Newark, NJ, 07103 USA;7. Center for Cardiovascular Health, Tulane University, , New Orleans, LA, 70118 USA;8. Epidemiology and Statistics Units, Institute of Public Health, Danish Twin Registry and Danish Aging Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, , Odense, Denmark;9. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, , Newark, NJ, 07103 USA |
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| Abstract: | Short leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with atherosclerosis in adults and diminished survival in the elderly. LTL dynamics are defined by LTL at birth, which is highly variable, and its age‐dependent attrition thereafter, which is rapid during the first 20 years of life. We examined whether age‐dependent LTL attrition during adulthood can substantially affect individuals' LTL ranking (e.g., longer or shorter LTL) in relation to their peers. We measured LTL in samples donated 12 years apart on average by 1156 participants in four longitudinal studies. We observed correlations of 0.91–0.96 between baseline and follow‐up LTLs. Ranking individuals by deciles revealed that 94.1% (95% confidence interval of 92.6–95.4%) showed no rank change or a 1 decile change over time. We conclude that in adults, LTL is virtually anchored to a given rank with the passage of time. Accordingly, the links of LTL with atherosclerosis and longevity appear to be established early in life. It is unlikely that lifestyle and its modification during adulthood exert a major impact on LTL ranking. |
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| Keywords: | human leukocytes longitudinal Southern blots telomeres |
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