Background: Telomere length is considered an emerging marker of biological aging. Depression and anxiety are associated with excess mortality risk but the mechanisms remain obscure. Telomere length might be involved because it is associated with psychological distress and mortality. The aim of this study was to test whether anxiety and depressive disorders predict telomere length over time in a large population-based sample. Method All analyses were performed in a longitudinal study in a general population cohort of 974 participants. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to measure the presence of anxiety and depressive disorders. Telomere length was measured using monochrome multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at approximately 2 years of follow-up. We used linear multivariable regression models to evaluate the association between anxiety and depressive disorders and telomere length, adjusting for adverse life events, lifestyle factors, educational level and antidepressant use.
Results: The presence of anxiety disorders predicted shorter telomeres at follow-up (β = -0.073, t = -2.302, p = 0.022). This association was similar after controlling for adverse life events, lifestyle factors, educational level and antidepressant use (β = -0.077, t = -2.144, p = 0.032). No association was found between depressive disorders and shorter telomeres at follow-up (β = 0.010, t = 0.315, p = 0.753).
Conclusions: This study found that anxiety disorders predicted shorter telomere length at follow-up in a general population cohort. The association was not explained by adverse life events, lifestyle factors, educational level and antidepressant use. How anxiety disorders might lead to accelerated telomere shortening and whether this might be a mediator explaining the excess mortality risk associated with anxiety deserve further investigation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291712001766 | DOI Listing |
Fertil Steril
January 2025
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, University of California, San Francisco.
Objective: To study measures of endothelial health, cardiovascular risk, and cellular aging between PCOS patients and a reproductive age normative cohort.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Subjects: Community-based PCOS patients and a normative ovarian aging cohort as controls, aged 45 or younger at the time of evaluation.
World J Gastrointest Oncol
January 2025
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China.
Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality, and easy to develop resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes located at the termini of chromosomes in eukaryotic cells, which are unreplaceable in maintaining the stability and integrity of genome. Telomerase, an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase, play vital role in telomere length maintain, targeting telomerase is a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOpen Access J Sports Med
January 2025
Prodia Clinical Laboratory, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Background: Sarcopenia is characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and poses a significant health challenge for older adults by increasing the risk of disability and decreasing quality of life. Yoga considers as a low-risk and beneficial exercise for older adults. This research aims to evaluate the potential of yoga practice as a preventive strategy against sarcopenia in Indonesian older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Bras Pneumol
January 2025
. Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói (RJ) Brasil.
Objective: Silicosis is a pneumoconiosis characterized by fibrosis of the lung parenchyma caused by the inhalation of silica particles. Silica dust inhalation is associated with inflammation and induction of oxidative stress in the lungs. This oxidative stress affects telomeres, which are short tandem DNA repeats that cap the end of linear chromosomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicine (Baltimore)
November 2024
State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening condition characterized by elevated pulmonary artery pressure, leading to right heart failure, and mortality. The role of telomere length, a marker of biological aging, in PAH remains unclear. We utilized summary-level data from genome-wide association studies for various measures of telomere length and PAH.
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