No Associations Between Telomere Length and Age-Sensitive Indicators of Physical Function in Mid and Later Life

Telomere length, which declines with age, has been hypothesized to act as an indicator of biological aging. If it fulfills this purpose, shorter telomere length should correlate with age-related loss of physical function, independent of age. In this cross-sectional Australian population study, the a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2010-08, Vol.65A (8), p.792-799
Main Authors: Mather, Karen Anne, Jorm, Anthony Francis, Milburn, Peter John, Tan, Xiaoyun, Easteal, Simon, Christensen, Helen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Age
Aged
Aging
Biological aging
Biomarker
Biomarkers
Blood pressure
Chromosomes
Gerontology
Humans
Leukocytes
Middle Aged
Motor Activity
Physical function
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Studies
Systole
Telomere
Telomere length
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Summary:Telomere length, which declines with age, has been hypothesized to act as an indicator of biological aging. If it fulfills this purpose, shorter telomere length should correlate with age-related loss of physical function, independent of age. In this cross-sectional Australian population study, the associations between peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length and age-sensitive indicators of physical function (lung function, blood pressure, and grip strength) were examined in two narrow age range cohorts aged 44–49 years (n = 351) and 64–70 years (n = 295). Telomere length was correlated with systolic blood pressure but only for women of the younger cohort and in the opposite direction to that expected (partial r = .181, p = .017). This evidence does not provide support for the hypothesis that telomere length is related to age-associated changes in physical function.
ISSN:1079-5006
1758-535X
DOI:10.1093/gerona/glq050