Department of Sociology and Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Institute for Social Research and Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Biodemography Soc Biol. 2020 Jul-Sep;66(3-4):208-219. doi: 10.1080/19485565.2021.1983758. Epub 2021 Oct 1.
Telomere length is often used in studies of adults as a biomarker of cellular aging and an indicator of stress exposure. However, we know little about how telomeres change over time, particularly over the course of the important developmental period of adolescence. We use data on telomere length collected at two points in time spanning adolescence (Years 9 and 15) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine longitudinal patterns ( = 1,654) in telomere length. We find a quantitatively small but significant average lengthening in telomere length across adolescence and little evidence of associations between telomere length and pubertal development.
端粒长度通常在成人研究中用作细胞衰老的生物标志物和应激暴露的指标。然而,我们对端粒随时间的变化知之甚少,特别是在青春期这一重要的发育阶段。我们利用脆弱家庭和儿童福利研究(Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study)中在两个时间点收集的关于端粒长度的数据来研究青春期(9 年级和 15 年级)的纵向模式(=1654)。我们发现,端粒长度在整个青春期有一个数量上很小但有统计学意义的平均增长,并且端粒长度与青春期发育之间几乎没有关联。