Title |
Longer Leukocyte Telomeres Are Associated with Ultra-Endurance Exercise Independent of Cardiovascular Risk Factors
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Published in |
PLOS ONE, July 2013
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DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0069377 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Joshua Denham, Christopher P. Nelson, Brendan J. O’Brien, Scott A. Nankervis, Matthew Denniff, Jack T. Harvey, Francine Z. Marques, Veryan Codd, Ewa Zukowska-Szczechowska, Nilesh J. Samani, Maciej Tomaszewski, Fadi J. Charchar |
Abstract |
Telomere length is recognized as a marker of biological age, and shorter mean leukocyte telomere length is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is unclear whether repeated exposure to ultra-endurance aerobic exercise is beneficial or detrimental in the long-term and whether it attenuates biological aging. We quantified 67 ultra-marathon runners' and 56 apparently healthy males' leukocyte telomere length (T/S ratio) using real-time quantitative PCR. The ultra-marathon runners had 11% longer telomeres (T/S ratio) than controls (ultra-marathon runners: T/S ratio = 3.5±0.68, controls: T/S ratio = 3.1±0.41; β = 0.40, SE = 0.10, P = 1.4×10(-4)) in age-adjusted analysis. The difference remained statistically significant after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (P = 2.2×10(-4)). The magnitude of this association translates into 16.2±0.26 years difference in biological age and approximately 324-648bp difference in leukocyte telomere length between ultra-marathon runners and healthy controls. Neither traditional cardiovascular risk factors nor markers of inflammation/adhesion molecules explained the difference in leukocyte telomere length between ultra-marathon runners and controls. Taken together these data suggest that regular engagement in ultra-endurance aerobic exercise attenuates cellular aging. |
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Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 11 | 34% |
Australia | 3 | 9% |
Spain | 3 | 9% |
Canada | 1 | 3% |
Finland | 1 | 3% |
Luxembourg | 1 | 3% |
Netherlands | 1 | 3% |
Unknown | 11 | 34% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 20 | 63% |
Scientists | 8 | 25% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 6% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 6% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 2 | 1% |
Brazil | 2 | 1% |
United States | 2 | 1% |
Spain | 2 | 1% |
Portugal | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 130 | 94% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 21 | 15% |
Student > Bachelor | 19 | 14% |
Researcher | 18 | 13% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 13 | 9% |
Professor | 9 | 6% |
Other | 35 | 25% |
Unknown | 24 | 17% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 32 | 23% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 17 | 12% |
Sports and Recreations | 15 | 11% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 12 | 9% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 10 | 7% |
Other | 19 | 14% |
Unknown | 34 | 24% |