No association between mean telomere length and life stress observed in a 30 year birth cohort.

ABSTRACT: Telomeres are specialised structures that cap the ends of chromosomes. They shorten with each cell division and have been proposed as a marker of cellular aging. Previous studies suggest that early life stressors increase the rate of telomere shortening with potential impact on disease states and mortality later in life. This study examined the associations between telomere length and exposure to a number of stressors that arise during development from the antenatal/perinatal period through to young adulthood. Participants were from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS), a New Zealand longitudinal birth cohort which has followed participants from birth until age 30. Telomere length was obtained on DNA from peripheral blood samples collected from consenting participants (n = 

SUBMITTER: Jodczyk S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4016252 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature