Telomeres as integrative markers of exposure to stress and adversity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Telomeres have been proposed as a biomarker that integrates the impacts of different kinds of stress and adversity into a common currency. There has as yet been no overall comparison of how different classes of exposure associate with telomeres. We present a meta-analysis of the literature relating telomere measures to stresses and adversities in humans. The analysed dataset contained 543 associations from 138 studies involving 402 116 people. Overall, there was a weak association between telomere variables and exposures (greater adversity, shorter telomeres: r = -0.15, 95% CI -0.18 to -0.11). This was not driven by any one type of exposure, because significant associations were found separately for physical diseases, environmental hazards, nutrition, psychiatric illness, smoking, p

SUBMITTER: Pepper GV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6124068 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature