TY - JOUR
T1 - Telomere length and chronological age across the human lifespan
T2 - A systematic review and meta-analysis of 414 study samples including 743,019 individuals
AU - Ye, Qiaofeng
AU - Apsley, Abner T.
AU - Etzel, Laura
AU - Hastings, Waylon J.
AU - Kozlosky, John T.
AU - Walker, Cade
AU - Wolf, Sarah E.
AU - Shalev, Idan
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (U01ES030949 to I.S.). L.E., S.E.W. and A.T.A were supported by National Institute on Aging T32 AG049676 to The Pennsylvania State University. W.J.H. is supported by the Telomere Research Network (U24AG066528). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences ( U01ES030949 to I.S.). L.E., S.E.W. and A.T.A were supported by National Institute on Aging T32 AG049676 to The Pennsylvania State University. W.J.H. is supported by the Telomere Research Network ( U24AG066528 ). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - Telomere attrition is a proposed hallmark of aging. To evaluate the association of telomere length (TL) with chronological age across the human lifespan, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 414 study samples comprising 743,019 individuals aged 0–112 years. We examined both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, and evaluated the impact of various biological and methodological factors including sex, health status, tissue types, DNA extraction procedures, and TL measurement methods. The pooled corrected correlation between TL and age from cross-sectional samples was −0.19 (95%CI: −0.22 to −0.15), which weakened with increased chronological age (β = 0.003, p < 0.001). Z-score change rates of TL across the lifespan showed a gradual decrease in shortening rate until around age 50 and remained at a relatively stable rate towards the elderly period. A greater attrition rate was observed in longitudinal than cross-sectional evaluations. For TL measured in base pairs, the median change rate of TL was −23 bp/year in cross-sectional samples and −38 bp/year in longitudinal samples. Methodological factors including TL measurement methods and tissue types impacted the TL-age correlation, while sex or disease status did not. This meta-analysis revealed the non-linear shortening trend of TL across the human lifespan and provides a reference value for future studies. Results also highlight the importance of methodological considerations when using TL as an aging biomarker.
AB - Telomere attrition is a proposed hallmark of aging. To evaluate the association of telomere length (TL) with chronological age across the human lifespan, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 414 study samples comprising 743,019 individuals aged 0–112 years. We examined both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, and evaluated the impact of various biological and methodological factors including sex, health status, tissue types, DNA extraction procedures, and TL measurement methods. The pooled corrected correlation between TL and age from cross-sectional samples was −0.19 (95%CI: −0.22 to −0.15), which weakened with increased chronological age (β = 0.003, p < 0.001). Z-score change rates of TL across the lifespan showed a gradual decrease in shortening rate until around age 50 and remained at a relatively stable rate towards the elderly period. A greater attrition rate was observed in longitudinal than cross-sectional evaluations. For TL measured in base pairs, the median change rate of TL was −23 bp/year in cross-sectional samples and −38 bp/year in longitudinal samples. Methodological factors including TL measurement methods and tissue types impacted the TL-age correlation, while sex or disease status did not. This meta-analysis revealed the non-linear shortening trend of TL across the human lifespan and provides a reference value for future studies. Results also highlight the importance of methodological considerations when using TL as an aging biomarker.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102031
DO - 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102031
M3 - Review article
C2 - 37567392
AN - SCOPUS:85167965290
SN - 1568-1637
VL - 90
JO - Ageing Research Reviews
JF - Ageing Research Reviews
M1 - 102031
ER -
