Associations of Leukocyte Telomere Length With Aerobic and Muscular Fitness in Young Adults
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
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.
Date Issued
2017-03-01
Date Acceptance
2016-03-14
Citation
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, 2017, 185 (7), pp.529-537
ISSN
0002-9262
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Start Page
529
End Page
537
Journal / Book Title
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
Volume
185
Issue
7
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000400980300004&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
aerobic fitness
biological aging
handgrip strength
Northern Finland Birth Cohorts
telomere length
PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY
NORTHERN FINLAND
CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE
GRIP STRENGTH
BIRTH COHORT
HEALTH
CAPACITY
CAPABILITY
INDICATORS
MORTALITY
Adult
Age Factors
Body Mass Index
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Finland
Hand Strength
Humans
Leukocytes
Male
Muscle Strength
Physical Endurance
Physical Fitness
Sex Factors
Telomere Homeostasis
Epidemiology
11 Medical And Health Sciences
01 Mathematical Sciences
Publication Status
Published