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Leukocyte telomere length and age at menopause.
Tuesday,2014-04-01 12:07 America/Los_Angeles — poolea2
| Title | Leukocyte telomere length and age at menopause. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2014 |
| Authors | Gray, KE, Schiff, MA, Fitzpatrick, AL, Kimura, M, Aviv, A, Starr, JR |
| Journal | Epidemiology |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pagination | 139-46 |
| Date Published | 2014 Jan |
| ISSN | 1531-5487 |
| Keywords | Adult, Age of Onset, Aged, Aging, Alcohol Drinking, Body Mass Index, Educational Status, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Humans, Leukocytes, Linear Models, Menopause, Middle Aged, Motor Activity, Smoking, Telomere |
| Abstract | <p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Telomere length is a marker of cellular aging that varies with the individual, is inherited, and is highly correlated across somatic cell types within persons. Interindividual variability of telomere length may partly explain differences in reproductive aging rates. We examined whether leukocyte telomere length was associated with menopausal age.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>We evaluated the relationship between leukocyte telomere length and age at natural menopause in 486 white women ≥65 years of age. We fit linear regression models adjusted for age, income, education, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol intake. We repeated the analysis in women with surgical menopause. We also performed sensitivity analyses excluding women (1) with unilateral oophorectomy, (2) who were nulliparous, or (3) reporting menopausal age <40 years, among other exclusions.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>For every 1-kb increase in leukocyte telomere length, average age at natural menopause increased by 10.2 months (95% confidence interval = 1.3 to 19.0). There was no association among 179 women reporting surgical menopause. In all but one sensitivity analysis, the association between leukocyte telomere length and age at menopause became stronger. However, when excluding women with menopausal age <40 years, the association decreased to 7.5 months (-0.4 to 15.5).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Women with the longest leukocyte telomere length underwent menopause 3 years later than those with the shortest leukocyte telomere length. If an artifact, an association would likely also have been observed in women with surgical menopause. If these results are replicated, leukocyte telomere length may prove to be a useful predictor of age at menopause.</p> |
| DOI | 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000017 |
| Alternate Journal | Epidemiology |
| PubMed ID | 24213145 |
| PubMed Central ID | PMC3926311 |
| Grant List | N01 HC085086 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States T32 HD052462 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States AG -027058 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01 HC085081 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R01 AG015928 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States U01 HL080295 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01 HC075150 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268200800007C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01 HC015103 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01 HC085083 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R56 AG020098 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01 HC085085 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R01 HL080698 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01HC55222 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85086 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01HC85086 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States AG -15928 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01 HC085082 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01 HC085080 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HHSN268201200036C / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States AG -023629 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States 1 R01 HL80698-01 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-55222 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-75150 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R01 HL080295 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01 HC085084 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R01 AG020098 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01HC75150 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85079 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States HL080295 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01-HC-85239 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01HC85079 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01 HC085079 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R01 AG023629 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States R01 AG027058 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States N01 HC045133 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States N01 HC035129 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States R56 AG023629 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States |