Description

Few people believe telomere shortening is a significant cause of ageing because the evidence just isn’t there, however telomere shortening may, at least partly, result from processes that do actually cause ageing. So they are sometimes used as a biomarker of ageing.

A biomarker of ageing is, ideally, a measure which indicates how much of your life you have already lived. The popularity of telomere length as a biomarker comes partly from a time when telomeres were thought to be linked more strongly to ageing, and as predictors aren’t terribly good. However several environmental and other factors which are associated with shorter or longer life are also associated with shorter or longer telomeres so in this study they were used as markers of ageing-related damage.

Borderline-significant telomere shortening associated with increased exercise was found in both exercise and control groups, a result opposite to that seen in previous studies. However unlike previous studies the subjects here were 68 years old and overweight-obese. Perhaps substantial increased activity induces damage in such subjects.

The statistically significant result, that reduced sitting time was associated with telomere lengthening, would need repeating because the number of participants was only 12, as the authors state, and the result was seen only in the intervention group, not the control group.

There is not the evidence that telomere length is causally associated with ageing, and associations with parameters of ageing and health, both in humans and other mammals, are not generally strong. However there is substantial evidence that reduced sitting time has beneficial effects on a range of health-related measures and is clearly a good idea. 

Now switch off the computer, get up and go for a walk.