Graduate Program in Physical Education, Catholic University of Brasília, DF, Brazil; Physical Education Department, University Center - UDF, DF, Brazil.
Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, USA.
Exp Gerontol. 2021 Apr;146:111212. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2020.111212. Epub 2020 Dec 30.
The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was 1) to assess whether master athletes have longer telomeres than age-matched non-athletes and 2) discuss possible underlying mechanisms underlying telomere length preservation in master athletes. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and SPORTDiscus up to August 2020. Only original articles published in peer-reviewed journals that compared telomere length between master athletes and aged-matched non-athletes were included. Eleven studies fulfilled eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis. Overall, 240 master athletes (51.9±7.5 years) and 209 age-matched non-athletes (50.1±9.1 years) were analyzed. Master athletes had been participating in high-level competitions for approximately 16.6 years. Pooled analyses revealed that master athletes had longer telomeres than aged-matched non-athletes (SMD=0.89; 95% CI=0.45 to 1.33; p<0.001). Master athletes showed lower pro-oxidant damage (SMD=0.59; 95% CI=0.26 to 0.91; p<0.001) and higher antioxidant capacity (SMD=-0.46; 95% CI=-0.89 to -0.03; p=0.04) than age-matched non-athletes. Further, greater telomere length in master athletes is associated with lower oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, and enhanced shelterin protein expression and telomerase activity. In conclusion, 1) master athletes have longer telomeres than age-matched non-athletes, which may be the result of 2) lower levels of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, and elevated shelterin expression and telomerase activity.
1）评估精英运动员的端粒是否长于同龄非运动员；2）探讨精英运动员端粒长度保持的潜在机制。在 2020 年 8 月之前，我们在 PubMed、Web of Science、Scopus 和 SPORTDiscus 上进行了文献检索。仅纳入了比较精英运动员和同龄非运动员端粒长度的同行评审期刊上发表的原始文章。有 11 项研究符合入选标准，并纳入最终分析。总体而言，分析了 240 名精英运动员（51.9±7.5 岁）和 209 名同龄非运动员（50.1±9.1 岁）。精英运动员参加高水平比赛的时间约为 16.6 年。汇总分析显示，精英运动员的端粒比同龄非运动员长（SMD=0.89；95%CI=0.45 至 1.33；p<0.001）。与同龄非运动员相比，精英运动员的促氧化剂损伤较低（SMD=0.59；95%CI=0.26 至 0.91；p<0.001），抗氧化能力较高（SMD=-0.46；95%CI=-0.89 至 -0.03；p=0.04）。此外，精英运动员的端粒较长与较低的氧化应激和慢性炎症以及增强的端粒保护蛋白表达和端粒酶活性有关。总之，1）精英运动员的端粒长于同龄非运动员，这可能是由于 2）氧化应激和慢性炎症水平较低，端粒保护蛋白表达和端粒酶活性升高所致。
