Race-related health disparities and biological aging: Does rate of telomere shortening differ across blacks and whites?

Rewak, Marissa; Buka, Stephen L.; Prescott, Jennifer; Vivo, Immaculata De; Loucks, Eric B.; Kawachi, Ichiro; Non, Amy L.; Kubzansky, Laura D.

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.03.007

Cited by 88 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Participants were not, however, matched by race; in light of data published after study enrollment reporting that telomeres of African-Americans are significantly longer at birth but shorten faster than telomeres of Caucasians (Hunt et al, 2008; Rewak et al, 2014; Zhu et al, 2011), resulting in shorter telomeres on average by middle or late adulthood in African-Americans (Diez Roux et al, 2009; Geronimus et al, 2010), we conducted further analyses among Caucasian participants only (as we did not have enough statistical power to examine the associations for participants within other races). In this follow-up analysis within Caucasians, to conserve power we did not additionally restrict the sample to include only those MDD patients and Controls with an age/gender match (i.e., we included Caucasian MDD patients previously matched to non-Caucasians, as well as 1 Caucasian Control who was not previously matched to any MDD patient).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telomere length and telomerase in a well-characterized sample of individuals with major depressive disorder compared to controls

Simon

Walton

Bui

et al. 2015

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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Background Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a marker of cellular turnover and oxidative stress. Studies suggest major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with oxidative stress, but examinations of MDD and LTL have yielded mixed results, likely because of differences in measurement methods and unmeasured confounding. This study examined LTL and telomerase activity in 166 individuals with MDD compared to 166 age- and gender-matched matched controls free of any psychiatric disorder, using well-validated assays and clinical assessment methods, and controlling for a range of potential confounders. Methods Subjects aged 18 to 70 were evaluated by trained raters and provided blood for LTL and telomerase activity measurement. LTL was assayed using Southern blot and replicated with qPCR, and telomerase activity was assayed with a repeat amplification protocol using a commercial kit. Results There was no significant difference in telomere length for individuals with MDD [mean (SD)=9.1 (3.0) kbp] compared to controls [mean(SD) =8.9(2.5) kbp] measured by Southern blot (p=0.65) or by confirmatory qPCR (p=0.91) assays. Controlling for potential confounders did not alter the results. Telomerase activity did not differ by MDD diagnosis overall (p=0.40), but the effect of MDD was significantly modified by gender (t(299)= 2.67, p=0.0079) even after controlling for potential confounders, with telomerase activity significantly greater only in males with MDD versus controls. Conclusion Our well-characterized, well-powered examination of concurrently assessed telomere length and telomerase activity in individuals with clinically significant, chronic MDD and matched controls failed to provide strong evidence of an association of MDD with shorter LTL, while telomerase activity was lower in men with MDD.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telomere length and telomerase in a well-characterized sample of individuals with major depressive disorder compared to controls

Simon

Walton

Bui

et al. 2015

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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“…A great deal of research has examined telomere length as a possible mechanism explaining health disparities between Whites and Blacks (e.g., Rewak et al, 2014). However, to our knowledge, no within-race comparisons of telomere length have been conducted to compare lighter-versus darker-skinned Blacks.…”

Section: Health Consequences Of Skin Tone Biasmentioning

confidence: 97%

Skin tone bias among African Americans: Antecedents and consequences across the life span

Adams

Kurtz‐Costes

Hoffman

2016

Developmental Review

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A B S T R A C TThis article is a developmental review of research on skin tone bias and its consequences for African Americans. In the first section of the paper, we summarize research findings on skin tone attitudes, preferences, and stereotypes from childhood through adulthood. Next we summarize literature regarding African Americans as the target of skin tone bias. This section is organized in terms of individual and contextual factors that shape whether and how skin tone bias occurs; factors that moderate the target's reaction to such bias; and consequences of bias, including psychosocial and health outcomes, economic and educational disparities, and repercussions within the legal system. We conclude by discussing limitations of the extant research.In a society where racism is still common, skin tone is a visible cue that activates culturally embedded prejudices and stereotypes that may lead to race-based discrimination. This review summarizes research on skin tone bias toward African Americans, filling a gap in the existing literature by considering skin tone bias both from the perspective of the perceiver and the target; by examining age differences in effects; and by delineating antecedents, moderators, and consequences that shape the experiences of skin tone bias. We begin by discussing a few lexical and methodological considerations, then review empirical findings (mostly 1990 to present) on skin tone attitudes, preferences, and stereotypes during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood from the perspective of the perceiver.

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“…Furthermore, they were effectively deserted by all their relocated neighbors, leaving them relatively isolated in a few scattered forest villages and vulnerable to the predations of bandits and politically powerful herding communities who visit the area, wreaking intermittent havoc on homes and crops. They also suffer other unexpected social sleights, for example, in the way † Within a WEIRD context, recent studies on US ethnic and racial minorities are beginning to illuminate precisely these posited population-level relationships, demonstrating, for example, that blacks and Hispanics, as high-stress and lower-life expectancy groups, do in fact possess shorter telomeres relative to whites (48)(49)(50). However, this literature is divided, with other primarily cross-sectional research demonstrating either no racial differences or that blacks have longer telomeres compared with whites (51, 52).…”

Section: Study Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress and telomere shortening among central Indian conservation refugees

Zahran

Snodgrass

Maranon

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Research links psychosocial stress to premature telomere shortening and accelerated human aging; however, this association has only been demonstrated in so-called "WEIRD" societies (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic), where stress is typically lower and life expectancies longer. By contrast, we examine stress and telomere shortening in a non-Western setting among a highly stressed population with overall lower life expectancies: poor indigenous people-the Sahariya-who were displaced (between 1998 and 2002) from their ancestral homes in a central Indian wildlife sanctuary. In this setting, we examined adult populations in two representative villages, one relocated to accommodate the introduction of Asiatic lions into the sanctuary (n = 24 individuals), and the other newly isolated in the sanctuary buffer zone after their previous neighbors were moved (n = 22). Our research strategy combined physical stress measures via the salivary analytes cortisol and α-amylase with self-assessments of psychosomatic stress, ethnographic observations, and telomere length assessment [telomere-fluorescence in situ hybridization (TEL-FISH) coupled with 3D imaging of buccal cell nuclei], providing high-resolution data amenable to multilevel statistical analysis. Consistent with expectations, we found significant associations between each of our stress measures-the two salivary analytes and the psychosomatic symptom survey-and telomere length, after adjusting for relevant behavioral, health, and demographic traits. As the first study (to our knowledge) to link stress to telomere length in a non-WEIRD population, our research strengthens the case for stress-induced telomere shortening as a pancultural biomarker of compromised health and aging.telomeres | stress | India | indigenous peoples | human displacement P sychosocial stress is associated with elevated risk for a range of human diseases and curtailment of human life expectancy (1-16). Telomeres-repetitive and stabilizing features of chromosomal termini that cap and protect them-have also been shown to be associated with aging and disease (17)(18)(19). Telomere length erodes normally with cell division and generally with aging, triggering cellular senescence once telomere length eclipses a threshold, contributing to tissue degeneration and organ decline with longevity (20-25). Given evidence that stress can elevate the risk of human mortality, and that premature telomere shortening can serve as a proxy for increased risk of disease and mortality, it is reasonable to posit that stress is also associated with telomere shortening (23,26,27). Indeed, research provides evidence of telomere shortening in a range of stress-inducing life situations, including among primary caregivers of chronically ill children and Alzheimer's patients (28, 29), children spending more time in orphanages or experiencing other forms of neglect and adversity (30-32), women suffering from intimate partner violence (33), patients suffering from stress-related mood disorders (34, 35), and...

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Race-related health disparities and biological aging: Does rate of telomere shortening differ across blacks and whites?

Cited by 88 publications

References 43 publications

Telomere length and telomerase in a well-characterized sample of individuals with major depressive disorder compared to controls

Telomere length and telomerase in a well-characterized sample of individuals with major depressive disorder compared to controls

Skin tone bias among African Americans: Antecedents and consequences across the life span

Stress and telomere shortening among central Indian conservation refugees

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