title: Depressive symptoms are associated with leukocyte telomere length in American Indians: findings from the Strong Heart Family Study.
abstract: Patients with depression have an increased risk for many aging-related disorders, but the biological mechanisms underlying this link remain to be determined. Here we examined the association between depressive symptoms and leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of biological aging, among 2,175 American Indians participating in the Strong Heart Family Study. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D), which was categorized into four levels: none (< 10), mild (10-15), moderate (16 -24), and severe (> 24). LTL (T/S ratio) was quantified by qPCR. The association between depressive symptoms and LTL was examined by multivariate generalized estimating equation models, adjusting for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors, and chronic conditions. Results showed that individuals with a higher level of depressive symptoms had shorter LTL. Specifically, LTL in participants reporting none, mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms were 1.000, 0.999, 0.988, and 0.966, respectively (Pfor trend = 0.0278). Moreover, gender appears to modulate the effect of reported depressive symptoms that fall in the severe range (CES-D > 24) on LTL (Pfor interaction = 0.0346). Our results suggest that depressive symptoms may accelerate biological aging through pathways beyond traditional risk factors in American Indians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Center for American Indian Health Research, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73126, USA.
authors.forename: Fawn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
authors.forename: Jue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Center for American Indian Health Research, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73126, USA.
authors.forename: Elisa T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA.
authors.forename: Shelley A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.affiliation: MedStar Health Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85016, USA.
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Calhoun
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Jinying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D063189:Symptom Assessment; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: American Indian; Strong Heart Study; depression; leukocyte telomere length