Association between telomere length, specific causes of death, and years of healthy life in health, aging, and body composition, a population-based cohort study

Omer T. Njajou, Wen Chi Hsueh, Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Anne B. Newman, Shih Hsuan Wu, Rongling Li, Eleanor M. Simonsick, Tamara M. Harris, Steve R. Cummings, Richard M. Cawthon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

188 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although telomere length (TL) is known to play a critical role in cellular senescence, the relationship of TL to aging and longevity in humans is not well understood. In a large biracial population-based cohort, we tested the hypotheses that elderly persons with shorter TL in peripheral white blood cells have poorer survival, shorter life span, and fewer years of healthy life (YHL). Associations were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard models and linear regression analyses where appropriate. TL (in kilo base pairs) was not associated with overall survival (hazard ratio 1.0; 95% confidence interval 0.9-1.1) or death from any specific underlying cause including infectious diseases, cancer, or cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. TL, however, was positively associated with more YHL(β = 0.08 ± 0.04, p =.03). Findings suggest that TL may not be a strong biomarker of survival in older individuals, but it may be an informative biomarker of healthy aging.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)860-864
Number of pages5
JournalJournals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
Volume64
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Health status
  • Life span
  • Survival
  • Telomere
  • Years of healthy life

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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