Author: Denham J, Nelson CP, O'Brien BJ, Nankervis SA, Denniff M, Harvey JT, Marques FZ, Codd V, Zukowska-Szczechowska E, Samani NJ, Tomaszewski M, Charchar FJ.
Affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Ballarat, Mt Helen, Australia.
Conference/Journal: PLoS One.
Date published: 2013 Jul 31
Other:
Volume ID: 8 , Issue ID: 7 , Pages: e69377 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069377 , Word Count: 170
Telomere length is recognized as a marker of biological age, and shorter mean leukocyte telomere length is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is unclear whether repeated exposure to ultra-endurance aerobic exercise is beneficial or detrimental in the long-term and whether it attenuates biological aging. We quantified 67 ultra-marathon runners' and 56 apparently healthy males' leukocyte telomere length (T/S ratio) using real-time quantitative PCR. The ultra-marathon runners had 11% longer telomeres (T/S ratio) than controls (ultra-marathon runners: T/S ratio = 3.5±0.68, controls: T/S ratio = 3.1±0.41; β = 0.40, SE = 0.10, P = 1.4×10(-4)) in age-adjusted analysis. The difference remained statistically significant after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors (P = 2.2×10(-4)). The magnitude of this association translates into 16.2±0.26 years difference in biological age and approximately 324-648bp difference in leukocyte telomere length between ultra-marathon runners and healthy controls. Neither traditional cardiovascular risk factors nor markers of inflammation/adhesion molecules explained the difference in leukocyte telomere length between ultra-marathon runners and controls. Taken together these data suggest that regular engagement in ultra-endurance aerobic exercise attenuates cellular aging.
PMID: 23936000