02054nas a2200481 4500008004100000022001400041245005600055210005500111260001300166300001400179490000600193520069800199100002300897700002000920700002000940700002300960700002600983700002401009700002301033700002301056700002101079700002401100700001901124700002101143700002201164700001801186700002101204700002001225700001701245700002001262700002801282700001401310700002401324700002701348700002301375700002501398700002201423700002301445700002401468700002601492700001801518856003601536 2017 eng d a1945-458900aTelomeres and the natural lifespan limit in humans.0 aTelomeres and the natural lifespan limit in humans c2017 Apr a1130-11420 v93 a
An ongoing debate in demography has focused on whether the human lifespan has a maximal natural limit. Taking a mechanistic perspective, and knowing that short telomeres are associated with diminished longevity, we examined whether telomere length dynamics during adult life could set a maximal natural lifespan limit. We define leukocyte telomere length of 5 kb as the 'telomeric brink', which denotes a high risk of imminent death. We show that a subset of adults may reach the telomeric brink within the current life expectancy and more so for a 100-year life expectancy. Thus, secular trends in life expectancy should confront a biological limit due to crossing the telomeric brink.
1 aSteenstrup, Troels1 aKark, Jeremy, D1 aVerhulst, Simon1 aThinggaard, Mikael1 aHjelmborg, Jacob, V B1 aDalgÄrd, Christine1 aKyvik, Kirsten Ohm1 aChristiansen, Lene1 aMangino, Massimo1 aSpector, Timothy, D1 aPetersen, Inge1 aKimura, Masayuki1 aBenetos, Athanase1 aLabat, Carlos1 aSinnreich, Ronit1 aHwang, Shih-Jen1 aLevy, Daniel1 aHunt, Steven, C1 aFitzpatrick, Annette, L1 aChen, Wei1 aBerenson, Gerald, S1 aBarbieri, Michelangela1 aPaolisso, Giuseppe1 aGadalla, Shahinaz, M1 aSavage, Sharon, A1 aChristensen, Kaare1 aYashin, Anatoliy, I1 aArbeev, Konstantin, G1 aAviv, Abraham uhttps://chs-nhlbi.org/node/7591