Associations of leukocyte telomere length with aerobic and muscular fitness in young adults

Dylan M. Williams; Jessica L. Buxton; Marko T. Kantomaa; Tuija H. Tammelin; Alexandra I. F. Blakemore; Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin

Associations of leukocyte telomere length with aerobic and muscular fitness in young adults

Dylan M. Williams
, Jessica L. Buxton
, Marko T. Kantomaa
, Tuija H. Tammelin
, Alexandra I. F. Blakemore
, Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin

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Abstract

Decline in both telomere length and physical fitness over the life course may contribute to increased risk of several chronic diseases. The relationship between telomere length and aerobic and muscular fitness is not well characterized. We examined whether there are cross-sectional associations of mean relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with objective measures of aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and muscle endurance, using data on 31-year-old participants of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 4,952-5,205, varying by exposure-outcome analysis). Aerobic fitness was assessed by means of heart rate measurement following a standardized submaximal step test; muscular fitness was assessed by means of a maximal isometric handgrip strength test and a test of lower-back trunk muscle endurance. Longer LTL was associated with higher aerobic fitness and better trunk muscle endurance in models including adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic position, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity level, and C-reactive protein. In a sex-stratified analysis, LTL was not associated with handgrip strength in either men or women. LTL may relate to aspects of physical fitness in young adulthood, but replication of these findings is required, along with further studies to help assess directions and causality in these associations.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	529-537
Journal	American Journal of Epidemiology
Volume	185
Issue number	7
Early online date	1 Mar 2017
Publication status	Published - 1 Apr 2017

Bibliographical note

Note: This work was supported financially by the Academy of Finland [grant numbers 104781, 120315, 129269, 1114194, and 12926], University Hospital Oulu, Biocenter, University of Oulu [grant number: 75617], the European Commission [grant number: QLG1-CT-2000-01643], the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, US National Institutes of Health [grant number: 5R01HL087679-02], the National Institute of Mental Health, US National Institutes of Health [grant number: 5R01MH63706:02], the Medical Research Council, United Kingdom [grant numbers: G0500539 and G0600705], the Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom [grant number: GR069224], Diabetes UK [grant number: 08/0003775], the Wellcome Trust Fellowship [grant number: WT088431MA], European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement DynaHEALTH [grant number: 633595].

Keywords

Biological sciences

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https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kww123

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title = "Associations of leukocyte telomere length with aerobic and muscular fitness in young adults",

abstract = "Decline in both telomere length and physical fitness over the life course may contribute to increased risk of several chronic diseases. The relationship between telomere length and aerobic and muscular fitness is not well characterized. We examined whether there are cross-sectional associations of mean relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with objective measures of aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and muscle endurance, using data on 31-year-old participants of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 4,952-5,205, varying by exposure-outcome analysis). Aerobic fitness was assessed by means of heart rate measurement following a standardized submaximal step test; muscular fitness was assessed by means of a maximal isometric handgrip strength test and a test of lower-back trunk muscle endurance. Longer LTL was associated with higher aerobic fitness and better trunk muscle endurance in models including adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic position, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity level, and C-reactive protein. In a sex-stratified analysis, LTL was not associated with handgrip strength in either men or women. LTL may relate to aspects of physical fitness in young adulthood, but replication of these findings is required, along with further studies to help assess directions and causality in these associations.",

keywords = "Biological sciences",

author = "Williams, \{Dylan M.\} and Buxton, \{Jessica L.\} and Kantomaa, \{Marko T.\} and Tammelin, \{Tuija H.\} and Blakemore, \{Alexandra I. F.\} and Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin",

note = "Note: This work was supported financially by the Academy of Finland [grant numbers 104781, 120315, 129269, 1114194, and 12926], University Hospital Oulu, Biocenter, University of Oulu [grant number: 75617], the European Commission [grant number: QLG1-CT-2000-01643], the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, US National Institutes of Health [grant number: 5R01HL087679-02], the National Institute of Mental Health, US National Institutes of Health [grant number: 5R01MH63706:02], the Medical Research Council, United Kingdom [grant numbers: G0500539 and G0600705], the Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom [grant number: GR069224], Diabetes UK [grant number: 08/0003775], the Wellcome Trust Fellowship [grant number: WT088431MA], European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement DynaHEALTH [grant number: 633595].",

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AU - Williams, Dylan M.

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AU - Tammelin, Tuija H.

AU - Blakemore, Alexandra I. F.

AU - Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta

N1 - Note: This work was supported financially by the Academy of Finland [grant numbers 104781, 120315, 129269, 1114194, and 12926], University Hospital Oulu, Biocenter, University of Oulu [grant number: 75617], the European Commission [grant number: QLG1-CT-2000-01643], the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, US National Institutes of Health [grant number: 5R01HL087679-02], the National Institute of Mental Health, US National Institutes of Health [grant number: 5R01MH63706:02], the Medical Research Council, United Kingdom [grant numbers: G0500539 and G0600705], the Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom [grant number: GR069224], Diabetes UK [grant number: 08/0003775], the Wellcome Trust Fellowship [grant number: WT088431MA], European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement DynaHEALTH [grant number: 633595].

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N2 - Decline in both telomere length and physical fitness over the life course may contribute to increased risk of several chronic diseases. The relationship between telomere length and aerobic and muscular fitness is not well characterized. We examined whether there are cross-sectional associations of mean relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with objective measures of aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and muscle endurance, using data on 31-year-old participants of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 4,952-5,205, varying by exposure-outcome analysis). Aerobic fitness was assessed by means of heart rate measurement following a standardized submaximal step test; muscular fitness was assessed by means of a maximal isometric handgrip strength test and a test of lower-back trunk muscle endurance. Longer LTL was associated with higher aerobic fitness and better trunk muscle endurance in models including adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic position, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity level, and C-reactive protein. In a sex-stratified analysis, LTL was not associated with handgrip strength in either men or women. LTL may relate to aspects of physical fitness in young adulthood, but replication of these findings is required, along with further studies to help assess directions and causality in these associations.

AB - Decline in both telomere length and physical fitness over the life course may contribute to increased risk of several chronic diseases. The relationship between telomere length and aerobic and muscular fitness is not well characterized. We examined whether there are cross-sectional associations of mean relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with objective measures of aerobic fitness, muscle strength, and muscle endurance, using data on 31-year-old participants of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 4,952-5,205, varying by exposure-outcome analysis). Aerobic fitness was assessed by means of heart rate measurement following a standardized submaximal step test; muscular fitness was assessed by means of a maximal isometric handgrip strength test and a test of lower-back trunk muscle endurance. Longer LTL was associated with higher aerobic fitness and better trunk muscle endurance in models including adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic position, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity level, and C-reactive protein. In a sex-stratified analysis, LTL was not associated with handgrip strength in either men or women. LTL may relate to aspects of physical fitness in young adulthood, but replication of these findings is required, along with further studies to help assess directions and causality in these associations.

KW - Biological sciences

M3 - Article

C2 - 28338837

SN - 0002-9262

VL - 185

SP - 529

EP - 537

JO - American Journal of Epidemiology

JF - American Journal of Epidemiology

IS - 7

ER -

Associations of leukocyte telomere length with aerobic and muscular fitness in young adults

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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