title: No associations between telomere length and age-sensitive indicators of physical function in mid and later life.
abstract: Telomere length, which declines with age, has been hypothesized to act as an indicator of biological aging. If it fulfills this purpose, shorter telomere length should correlate with age-related loss of physical function, independent of age. In this cross-sectional Australian population study, the associations between peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length and age-sensitive indicators of physical function (lung function, blood pressure, and grip strength) were examined in two narrow age range cohorts aged 44-49 years (n = 351) and 64-70 years (n = 295). Telomere length was correlated with systolic blood pressure but only for women of the younger cohort and in the opposite direction to that expected (partial r = .181, p = .017). This evidence does not provide support for the hypothesis that telomere length is related to age-associated changes in physical function.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. karen.mather@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Karen Anne
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Mather
authors.forename: Anthony Francis
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Jorm
authors.forename: Peter John
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Milburn
authors.forename: Xiaoyun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Easteal
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D015415:Biomarkers; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013599:Systole; D016615:Telomere
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers