Geriatric Service, Nancy University Hospital, Nancy, 54511, France.
Aging Cell. 2013 Aug;12(4):615-21. doi: 10.1111/acel.12086. Epub 2013 May 27.
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.
短的白细胞端粒长度(LTL)与成年人的动脉粥样硬化和老年人的生存减少有关。LTL 动态由出生时的 LTL 定义,其高度可变,其后的年龄依赖性损耗,在生命的头 20 年期间迅速发生。我们研究了在成年期间的年龄依赖性 LTL 损耗是否会对个体的 LTL 排名(例如,更长或更短的 LTL)产生重大影响,与同龄人相比。我们在四个纵向研究中平均相隔 12 年测量了 1156 名参与者的 LTL。我们观察到基线和随访 LTL 之间的相关性为 0.91-0.96。通过十等分法对个体进行排名显示,94.1%(95%置信区间为 92.6-95.4%)在没有排名变化或 1 个十等分变化的情况下随时间推移而变化。我们得出的结论是,在成年人中,LTL 随着时间的推移几乎固定在一个特定的排名上。因此,LTL 与动脉粥样硬化和长寿的联系似乎在生命早期就已经建立。在成年期间,生活方式及其改变对 LTL 排名的影响不大。