Dataset Information

Telomere length and anaemia in old age: results from the Newcastle 85-plus Study and the Leiden 85-plus Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

reduced telomere length in blood cells has been associated with increased risk of multiple age-related diseases and is widely regarded as a general biomarker of ageing. Therefore, it is important to know both the extent and limitations of this association. We investigated the relation between telomere length and anaemia in two independent cohorts, with the prior expectation of adding anaemia to the list of conditions for which telomere reduction is a risk factor.

Participants and methods

the present study is embedded in the Newcastle 85-plus Study and Leiden 85-plus Study, two population-based studies of inhabitants of Newcastle and North Tyneside, UK (n = 749) and Leiden, the Netherlands (n = 658) aged 85 and over. High-molecular-weight DNA was isolated from full fresh blood (Newcastle) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells samples (Leiden). Telomere length was measured as abundance of telomeric template versus a single gene by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Anaemia was defined according to World Health Organization criteria.

Results

in both studies, no differences in median telomere length were observed between participants with anaemia and participants without anaemia (Newcastle: 2,846 bp (interquartile range (IQR) 2,433-3,630) versus 2,920 bp (IQR 2,425-3,570), P = 0.63; Leiden: 4,136 bp (IQR 3,879-4,428) versus 4,167 bp (IQR 3,893-4,501), P = 0.41). Telomere length also did not correlate with any other haematological parameter in both men and women.

Conclusions

in contrast to other age-related diseases, telomere length is not associated with anaemia or any other haematological parameter in older individuals in the general population.

SUBMITTER: Den Elzen WP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3114621 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Telomere length and anaemia in old age: results from the Newcastle 85-plus Study and the Leiden 85-plus Study.

Den Elzen Wendy P J WP Martin-Ruiz Carmen C von Zglinicki Thomas T Westendorp Rudi G J RG Kirkwood Thomas B L TB Gussekloo Jacobijn J

Age and ageing 20110527 4

<h4>Background</h4>reduced telomere length in blood cells has been associated with increased risk of multiple age-related diseases and is widely regarded as a general biomarker of ageing. Therefore, it is important to know both the extent and limitations of this association. We investigated the relation between telomere length and anaemia in two independent cohorts, with the prior expectation of adding anaemia to the list of conditions for which telomere reduction is a risk factor.<h4>Participan ...[more]

PMID: 21622673

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Project description:OBJECTIVES:Although the biological rationale for the association between folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine with cognitive function seems plausible, conflicting results have been reported. This study aimed to determine the associations between 1-carbon (1-C) metabolism biomarkers (folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine), and cognitive impairment at baseline and the rate of cognitive decline over 5 years in the very old. DESIGN:The Newcastle 85+ Study was a prospective longitudinal study of people 85 years old and followed over 5 years in Northeast England. SETTING:Community-dwelling and institutionalized. PARTICIPANTS:The analytical sample included 765 very old participants with 1-C metabolism biomarkers and cognitive measures. MEASUREMENTS:Global cognition was measured by the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE) at baseline, and at 3 and 5 years of follow-up and, attention-specific cognition with the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) System at baseline, and at 1.5 and 3.0 years of follow-up. Baseline red blood cell folate (RBC folate), plasma vitamin B12, and total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations were determined by immunoassay. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the associations between quartiles of 1-C metabolism biomarkers and cognition over 3 (CDR) and 5 years (SMMSE). RESULTS:Compared with participants in the lowest quartile of RBC folate concentrations (<612 nmol/L), those in the highest quartile of RBC folate concentrations (>1280 nmol/L) had 1 more point on the SMMSE at baseline (? = +1.02, SE = 0.43, P = .02). Those in quartile 4 of tHcy (>21.4 ?mol/L) had 1 point less in the SMMSE at baseline than those in the lowest quartile (<13.5 ?mol/L) (? = -1.05, SE = 0.46, P = .02). Plasma vitamin B12 was not predictive of global or attention-specific cognition at baseline and at follow-up. None of the 1-C metabolism biomarkers except tHcy was associated with the rate of decline in attention scores over 3 years. CONCLUSION:RBC folate and tHcy, but not plasma vitamin B12, were associated with better global cognition in the very old at baseline but were not predictive of rate of decline over 5 years.

Dataset Information

Telomere length and anaemia in old age: results from the Newcastle 85-plus Study and the Leiden 85-plus Study.

Background

Participants and methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Telomere length and anaemia in old age: results from the Newcastle 85-plus Study and the Leiden 85-plus Study.

Similar Datasets

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