Early Biological Aging and Fetal Exposure to High and Low Ambient Temperature: A Birth Cohort Study

Abstract

Background:Although studies have provided estimates of premature mortality to either heat or cold in adult populations, and fetal exposure to ambient temperature may be associated with life expectancy, the effects of temperature on aging in early life have not yet been studied. Telomere length (TL) is a marker of biological aging, and a short TL at birth may predict lifespan and disease susceptibility later in life.Objectives:We studied to what extent prenatal ambient temperature exposure is associated with newborn TL.Methods:In the ENVIRONAGE (ENVIRonmental influence ON early AGEing) birth cohort in Flanders, Belgium, we measured cord blood and placental TL in 1,103 mother–newborn pairs (singletons with ≥36wk of gestation) using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. We associated newborn TL with average weekly exposure to ambient temperature using distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNMs) while controlling for potential confounders. Double-threshold DLNMs were used to estimate cold and heat thresholds and the linear associations between temperature and TL below the cold threshold and above the heat threshold.Results:Prenatal temperature exposure above the heat threshold (19.5°C) was associated with shorter cord blood TL. The association with a 1°C increase in temperature was strongest at week 36 of gestation and resulted in a 3.29% [95% confidence interval (CI): −4.67, −1.88] shorter cord blood TL. Consistently, prenatal temperature exposure below the cold threshold (5.0°C) was associated with longer cord blood TL. The association with a 1°C decrease in temperature was strongest at week 10 of gestation with 0.72% (95% CI: 0.46, 0.97) longer cord blood TL.Discussion:Our study supports potential effects of prenatal temperature exposure on longevity and disease susceptibility later in life. Future climate scenarios might jeopardize the potential molecular longevity of future generations from birth onward. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5153

From climate warming to accelerated cellular ageing: an experimental study in wild birds

“…Additionally, the trend towards a decreased expression of genes related to telomere maintenance (TERF2 and TERT) observed at day 14 in nestlings from heated nests support the results observed on telomere length in juveniles. Our results are in accordance with recent findings in humans showing a negative effect of warm temperature and a positive effect of cold temperature during gestation on newborn telomere length [44]. While oxidative stress-induced telomere shortening [23] is unlikely to explain our results (see above), the 'metabolic telomere attrition hypothesis' [25] could be a good candidate.…”

Ambient air pollution and low temperature associated with case fatality of COVID-19: A nationwide retrospective cohort study in China

“…27 However, the role of ambient temperature in COVID-19 fatality might be rather intricate due to the adverse effects of high and low temperatures on human health. [28][29][30] Other seasonal data are required to determine the overall comprehensive effects of temperature.…”

Association between body temperature and leukocyte telomere length in Korean middle-aged and older adults

“…Other methods, which include biofeedback via meditation, breathing techniques, and a calorie-restricted diet in humans [ 35 , 36 ], have resulted in BT decreases of up to 2°C [ 37 ]. Some earlier studies on humans have suggested that there could be an association between a low BT and a longer lifespan [ 23 ], which implies that a low BT may be a positive factor for longevity, as prenatal exposure to low environmental temperatures has been found to be linked to longer telomere length, suggesting a strong influence on telomere programming from an early embryonic stage [ 10 ]. Another hypothesis states that decreases in BT result in decreases in free radical-mediated damage, which can be determined by comparing the amount and quality of free radical species produced at different temperatures in relation to the activity of endogenous antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione; hence, the balance of free radicals might be mediated by components affected by temperature [ 38 ].…”

“…It was reported that leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is inversely correlated with chronological age and diversely related to other demographic factors; it can be inherited, affected by gender [6] or ethnicity [7]. In addition, LTL was found to be associated with lifestyle factors, chronic disease, infections, and other stimuli linked to inflammation and oxidative stress [4,8,9] and even body temperature (BT) [10].…”