Telomere length change plateaus at 4 years of age in Latino children: associations with baseline length and maternal change

Wojcicki, Janet M.; Shiboski, Stephen; Heyman, Melvin B.; Elwan, Deena; Lin, Jue; Blackburn, Elizabeth H.; Epel, Elissa S.

doi:10.1007/s00438-016-1191-2

Cited by 25 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…This high attrition rate could also explain the surprisingly low correlations between TL among mothers and children. We found one child with TL lengthening between birth and 5 y, a phenomenon that has been observed by others (49,50). It is therefore possible that telomere lengthening processes may be part of overall oscillations in TL, and we speculate that this phenomenon may represent fluctuations in cell types, which it was not possible to account for in our analysis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

PUFA Status and Methylmercury Exposure Are Not Associated with Leukocyte Telomere Length in Mothers or Their Children in the Seychelles Child Development Study

Yeates

Thurston

et al. 2017

The Journal of Nutrition

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Leukocyte telomere length (TL) is associated with age-related diseases and early mortality, but there is a lack of data on the determinants of TL in early life. Evidence suggests that dietary intake of marine n-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is protective of telomere attrition, yet the effect of methylmercury exposure, also found in fish, on TL is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between prenatal PUFA status, methylmercury exposure, and TL in mothers and children in the SCDS (Seychelles Child Development Study), for whom fish consumption is high. Blood samples collected from 229 mothers (at 28 wk gestation and delivery) and children (at 5 y of age) in the SCDS first nutrition cohort were analyzed for PUFA concentrations. Prenatal mercury was measured in maternal hair collected at delivery. Postnatal mercury was also measured in children's hair samples with the use of a cumulative metric derived from values obtained at 3-5 y of age. Relative TL was measured in blood obtained from mothers at delivery, in cord blood, and in children at 5 y of age by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between PUFA status, methylmercury exposure, and TL. Neither prenatal PUFA status or methylmercury exposure was associated with TL of the mother or child or with TL attrition rate. However, a higher prenatal n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio was significantly associated with longer TLs in the mothers (β = 0.001, = 0.048). Child PUFA status and methylmercury exposure were not associated with child TL. However, higher family Hollingshead socioeconomic status (SES) scores at 9 mo of age were significantly associated with longer TLs in cord blood (β = 0.005, = 0.03). We found no evidence that PUFA status or methylmercury exposure are determinants of TL in either the mother or child. However, our results support the hypothesis that family SES may be associated with child TL.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

PUFA Status and Methylmercury Exposure Are Not Associated with Leukocyte Telomere Length in Mothers or Their Children in the Seychelles Child Development Study

Yeates

Thurston

et al. 2017

The Journal of Nutrition

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“…. The average coefficient of variation for this study was 4.8% . Telomere length is expressed as the T:S, the ratio of a telomeric product to a single‐copy gene product.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…We used repeat measures of telomere length to increase our sample size as some children were measured at 4 years and not at 5 years ( n = 22 out of 91 measured at 4 years) and vice versa ( n = 11 out of 80 measured at 5 years). Because of repeat measures of telomere length (T:S) for a subset of the children, inferences were based on robust standard errors to account for the within‐individual correlation as previously described . The relationship between excessive sugar‐sweetened beverage consumption at 2, 3, 4 and 5 years and weight status and 9 years was assessed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Shorter preschool, leukocyte telomere length is associated with obesity at age 9 in Latino children

et al. 2017

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The aim of this study was to determine the potential role of leukocyte telomere length as a biomarker for development of childhood obesity in a low-income Latino population. A birth cohort of Latino children (N = 201) in San Francisco (recruited May 2006-May 2007) was followed until age 9 and assessed annually for obesity and dietary intake. Leukocyte telomere length was measured at 4 and 5 years (n = 102) and assessed as a predictor for obesity at age 9, adjusting for known risk factors. Furthermore, leukocyte telomere length at age 4 and 5 was evaluated as a possible mediator of the relationship between excessive sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and obesity at age 9. Shorter leukocyte telomere length in preschoolers was associated with obesity at age 9 (adjusted odds ratio 0.35, 95% confidence interval 0.13-0.94) after adjustment for known risk factors. Telomere length mediated 11% of the relationship between excessive sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and obesity. Shorter leukocyte telomere length may be an indicator of future obesity risk in high-risk populations as it is particularly sensitive to damage from oxidative stress exposure, including those from sugar-sweetened beverages.

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“…The limitations identified in these studies of telomere length will also apply to studies on the heritability of telomere shortening. Currently, the heritability of telomere attrition has only been investigated with twin data [ 62 , 84 ], which has methodological problems [ 85 ] (see section 7). Studies that take a G × E approach are desperately needed to improve our understanding of the evolution of telomere dynamics.…”

Section: Past Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heritability of telomere variation: it is all about the environment!

Dugdale

Richardson

2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

123

179

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Individual differences in telomere length have been linked to survival and senescence. Understanding the heritability of telomere length can provide important insight into individual differences and facilitate our understanding of the evolution of telomeres. However, to gain accurate and meaningful estimates of telomere heritability it is vital that the impact of the environment, and how this may vary, is understood and accounted for. The aim of this review is to raise awareness of this important, but much under-appreciated point. We outline the factors known to impact telomere length and discuss the fact that telomere length is a trait that changes with age. We highlight statistical methods that can separate genetic from environmental effects and control for confounding variables. We then review how well previous studies in vertebrate populations including humans have taken these factors into account. We argue that studies to date either use methodological techniques that confound environmental and genetic effects, or use appropriate methods but lack sufficient power to fully separate these components. We discuss potential solutions. We conclude that we need larger studies, which also span longer time periods, to account for changing environmental effects, if we are to determine meaningful estimates of the genetic component of telomere length.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Understanding diversity in telomere dynamics'.

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Telomere length change plateaus at 4 years of age in Latino children: associations with baseline length and maternal change

Cited by 25 publications

References 50 publications

PUFA Status and Methylmercury Exposure Are Not Associated with Leukocyte Telomere Length in Mothers or Their Children in the Seychelles Child Development Study

PUFA Status and Methylmercury Exposure Are Not Associated with Leukocyte Telomere Length in Mothers or Their Children in the Seychelles Child Development Study

Shorter preschool, leukocyte telomere length is associated with obesity at age 9 in Latino children

Heritability of telomere variation: it is all about the environment!

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