Should we be concerned over increasing body height and weight?

Samaras, Thomas T.

doi:10.1016/j.exger.2008.02.002

Cited by 28 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…It seems possible that a rapid and prolonged cell turnover in several tissues increases the risk of cell mutations that are not repaired or eliminated, also resulting in more rapid cellular senescence and thus contributing to those diseases producing a shortened life span (Campisi 2008). There is evidence for these life span-related events in rapidly growing animals (Coile 2005;Galis et al 2007;Samaras 2009;Deeb and Wolf 1994;Miller et al 2002;Snibson et al 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connecting serum IGF-1, body size, and age in the domestic dog

Greer

Hughes

Masternak

2010

AGE

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Many investigations in recent years have targeted understanding the genetic and biochemical basis of aging. Collectively, genetic factors and biological mechanisms appear to influence longevity in general and specifically; reduction of the insulin/IGF-1 signaling cascade has extended life span in diverse species. Genetic alteration of mammals for life extension indicates correlation to serum IGF-1 levels in mice, and IGF-1 levels have been demonstrated as a physiological predictor of frailty with aging in man. Longevity and aging data in the dog offer a close measure of the natural multifactorial longevity interactions of genetic influence, IGF-1 signaling, and environmental factors such as exposure, exercise, and lifestyle. The absence of genetic alteration more closely represents the human longevity status, and the unique species structure of the canine facilitates analyses not possible in other species. These investigations aimed to measure serum IGF-1 in numerous purebred and mixed-breed dogs of variable size and longevity in comparison to age, gender, and spay/neuter differences. The primary objective of this investigation was to determine plasma IGF-1 levels in the adult dog, including a wide range of breeds and adult body weight. The sample set includes animals ranging from just a few months of age through 204 months and ranging in size from 5 to 160 lb. Four groups were evaluated for serum IGF-1 levels, including intact and neutered males, and intact and spayed females. IGF-1 loss over time, as a function of age, decreases in all groups with significant differences between males and females. The relationship between IGF-1 and weight differs depending upon spay/neuter status, but there is an overall increase in IGF-1 levels with increasing weight. The data, currently being interrogated further for delineation of IGF-1 receptor variants and sex differences, are being collected longitudinally and explored for longevity associations previously unavailable in non-genetically modified mammals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connecting serum IGF-1, body size, and age in the domestic dog

Greer

Hughes

Masternak

2010

AGE

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“…There is evidence for these life span-related events in rapidly growing animals (Deeb and Wolf 1994;Miller et al 2002;Coile 2005;Galis et al 2007;Samaras 2009). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age-related cataract in dogs: a biomarker for life span and its relation to body size

Urfer

Greer

Wolf

2010

AGE

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Clinical data from 72 dog breeds of varying size and life expectancy were grouped according to breed body mass and tested for prevalence at ages 4 to 5, ages 7 to 10, and lifetime incidence of non-hereditary, age-related cataract (ARC). The incidence of ARC was found to be directly related to the relative life expectancies in the breed groups: The smallest dog breeds had a lower ARC prevalence between ages 4 and 5 than mid-size breeds and these, in turn, a lower prevalence than the giant breeds. A similar sequence was evident for ages 7 to 10 and for overall lifetime incidence of ARC. These differences became more significant when comparing small and giant breeds only. We could also confirm the inverse relationship between body size and life expectancy in these same sets of dog breeds. Our results show that body size, life expectancy, and ARC incidence are interrelated in dogs. Given that ARC has been shown to be at least partially caused by oxidative damage to lens epithelial cells and the internal lens, we suggest that it can be considered not only as a general biomarker for life expectancy in the canine and possibly other species, but also for the systemic damages produced by reactive oxygen species. This suggests new approaches to examine the gene expression pathways affecting the above-noted linkages.

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“…Within species however, the opposite relationship has often been found: larger individuals have shorter lives than conspecifics of smaller size, and this has been demonstrated in the wild and in captivity (e.g. [10,[12][13][14][15][16][17]). The within-species variation in lifespan is also exemplified in species subjected to artificial selection to produce variation in body size such as the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On being the right size: increased body size is associated with reduced telomere length under natural conditions

et al. 2015

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Evolution of body size is likely to involve trade-offs between body size, growth rate and longevity. Within species, larger body size is associated with faster growth and ageing, and reduced longevity, but the cellular processes driving these relationships are poorly understood. One mechanism that might play a key role in determining optimal body size is the relationship between body size and telomere dynamics. However, we know little about how telomere length is affected when selection for larger size is imposed in natural populations. We report here on the relationship between structural body size and telomere length in wild house sparrows at the beginning and end of a selection regime for larger parent size that was imposed for 4 years in an isolated population of house sparrows. A negative relationship between fledgling size and telomere length was present at the start of the selection; this was extended when fledgling size increased under the selection regime, demonstrating a persistent covariance between structural size and telomere length. Changes in telomere dynamics, either as a correlated trait or a consequence of larger size, could reduce potential longevity and the consequent trade-offs could thereby play an important role in the evolution of optimal body size.

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Should we be concerned over increasing body height and weight?

Cited by 28 publications

References 37 publications

Connecting serum IGF-1, body size, and age in the domestic dog

Connecting serum IGF-1, body size, and age in the domestic dog

Age-related cataract in dogs: a biomarker for life span and its relation to body size

On being the right size: increased body size is associated with reduced telomere length under natural conditions

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