Depressive and anxiety disorders and short leukocyte telomere length: mediating effects of metabolic stress and lifestyle factors

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 2337-2349 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Révész ◽  
J. E. Verhoeven ◽  
Y. Milaneschi ◽  
B. W. J. H. Penninx

BackgroundDepressive and anxiety disorders are associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL), an indicator of cellular aging. It is, however, unknown which pathways underlie this association. This study examined the extent to which lifestyle factors and physiological changes such as inflammatory or metabolic alterations mediate the relationship.MethodWe applied mediation analysis techniques to data from 2750 participants of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. LTL was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Independent variables were current depressive (30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptoms – Self Report) and anxiety (21-item Beck's Anxiety Inventory) symptoms and presence of a depressive or anxiety disorder diagnosis based on DSM-IV; mediator variables included physiological stress systems, metabolic syndrome components and lifestyle factors.ResultsShort LTL was associated with higher symptom severity (B = −2.4, p = 0.002) and current psychiatric diagnosis (B = −63.3, p = 0.024). C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, waist circumference, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and cigarette smoking were significant mediators in the relationship between psychopathology and LTL. When all significant mediators were included in one model, the effect sizes of the relationships between LTL and symptom severity and current diagnosis were reduced by 36.7 and 32.7%, respectively, and the remaining direct effects were no longer significant.ConclusionsPro-inflammatory cytokines, metabolic alterations and cigarette smoking are important mediators of the association between depressive and anxiety disorders and LTL. This calls for future research on intervention programs that take into account lifestyle changes in mental health care settings.

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (10) ◽  
pp. 2780-2785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onn-Siong Yim ◽  
Xing Zhang ◽  
Idan Shalev ◽  
Mikhail Monakhov ◽  
Songfa Zhong ◽  
...  

In a graying world, there is an increasing interest in correlates of aging, especially those found in early life. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is an emerging marker of aging at the cellular level, but little is known regarding its link with poor decision making that often entails being overly impatient. Here we investigate the relationship between LTL and the degree of impatience, which is measured in the laboratory using an incentivized delay discounting task. In a sample of 1,158 Han Chinese undergraduates, we observe that steeper delay discounting, indexing higher degree of impatience, is negatively associated with LTL. The relationship is robust after controlling for health-related variables, as well as risk attitude—another important determinant of decision making. LTL in females is more sensitive to impatience than in males. We then asked if genes possibly modulate the effect of impatient behavior on LTL. The oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphism rs53576, which has figured prominently in investigations of social cognition and psychological resources, and the estrogen receptor β gene (ESR2) polymorphism rs2978381, one of two gonadal sex hormone genes, significantly mitigate the negative effect of impatience on cellular aging in females. The current results contribute to understanding the relationship between preferences in decision making, particularly impatience, and cellular aging, for the first time to our knowledge. Notably, oxytocin and estrogen receptor polymorphisms temper accelerated cellular aging in young females who tend to make impatient choices.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghalib A. Bello ◽  
Yueh-Hsiu M. Chiu ◽  
Gerard G. Dumancas

ABSTRACTObjectivesTo study the link between frailty and cellular senescence, we examine the association of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with a recently introduced measure of subclinical frailty that is based entirely on laboratory test biomarkers (FI-LAB).MethodsThis study was conducted on a random sample of 1890 Americans aged 60+. Multiple Linear Regression was used to examine the relationship between FI-LAB and LTL.ResultsA statistically significant association was found between FI-LAB and LTL after adjusting for multiple covariates, indicating that higher FI-LAB scores are associated with shorter telomeres.DiscussionOur study results establish a link between subclinical frailty (FI-LAB) and cellular aging, which may help elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms giving rise to frailty.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Chen ◽  
Haidong Zhu ◽  
Bernard Gutin ◽  
Howard Sesso ◽  
Yanbin Dong

Abstract Objectives Chocolate intake has been shown to improve lipid profiles, which is associated with longer leukocyte telomere length (LTL). But the relationship between chocolate candy intake and cellular aging has not been investigated. We aimed to examine the association between chocolate intake and LTL in adolescents with comprehensive assessments of dietary, lifestyle, and clinical risk factors. Methods The dietary chocolate candy intake information were available in 660 adolescents aged from 14 to 18 years (51% girls and 48% blacks). The chocolate candy intake was estimated by seven independent 24 h dietary recalls and divided into three groups, which were none, less than 2 servings/week, and 2 servings/week or more. Multiple linear regression was performed to investigate the association between chocolate intake and LTL. Results Among the adolescents, 383 (58%) didn't take any chocolate during dietary recall periods, 165 (25%) consumed chocolate less than 2 servings/week (1.1 ± 0.5 servings/week), and 122 (17%) consumed chocolate of 2 servings/week or more (4.7 ± 4.0 servings/week). Body mass index (BMI) or % body fat was inversely related to chocolate intake in a dose-response fashion (ps < 0.01). Chocolate consumption was also positively associated with ApoA1 (P = 0.024) and ApoA1/HDL (P = 0.036). In addition, ApoA1 and ApoA1/HDL were positively associated with LTL (ps = 0.044 and 0.003, respectively). Compared to non-consumers, adolescents who consumed chocolate of ≥2 servings/week had 0.26 standard deviation longer LTL (P = 0.016) when adjusted for age, sex and race. The association remained significant after further adjustment of BMI, energy intake, the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), non-chocolate candy intake, physical activity, family SES and sexual development. Conclusions Adolescents who consume 2 servings/week or more of chocolate have longer LTL compared with non-consumers, and ApoA1-HDL pathway might be underlying the chocolate-LTL relationship. Further intervention studies are warranted to verify the beneficial effect of chocolate candy intake on the cellular aging process. Funding Sources Study was in part supported by the National Institute of Health, grant number HL064157.


2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Hoen ◽  
J. G. M. Rosmalen ◽  
R. A. Schoevers ◽  
J. Huzen ◽  
P. van der Harst ◽  
...  

BackgroundTelomere length is considered an emerging marker of biological aging. Depression and anxiety are associated with excess mortality risk but the mechanisms remain obscure. Telomere length might be involved because it is associated with psychological distress and mortality. The aim of this study was to test whether anxiety and depressive disorders predict telomere length over time in a large population-based sample.MethodAll analyses were performed in a longitudinal study in a general population cohort of 974 participants. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to measure the presence of anxiety and depressive disorders. Telomere length was measured using monochrome multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at approximately 2 years of follow-up. We used linear multivariable regression models to evaluate the association between anxiety and depressive disorders and telomere length, adjusting for adverse life events, lifestyle factors, educational level and antidepressant use.ResultsThe presence of anxiety disorders predicted shorter telomeres at follow-up (β = –0.073, t = –2.302, p = 0.022). This association was similar after controlling for adverse life events, lifestyle factors, educational level and antidepressant use (β = –0.077, t = –2.144, p = 0.032). No association was found between depressive disorders and shorter telomeres at follow-up (β = 0.010, t = 0.315, p = 0.753).ConclusionsThis study found that anxiety disorders predicted shorter telomere length at follow-up in a general population cohort. The association was not explained by adverse life events, lifestyle factors, educational level and antidepressant use. How anxiety disorders might lead to accelerated telomere shortening and whether this might be a mediator explaining the excess mortality risk associated with anxiety deserve further investigation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 173 (6) ◽  
pp. 617-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josine E. Verhoeven ◽  
Patricia van Oppen ◽  
Dóra Révész ◽  
Owen M. Wolkowitz ◽  
Brenda W.J.H. Penninx

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1649-1656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Willeit ◽  
Johann Willeit ◽  
Anita Brandstätter ◽  
Silvia Ehrlenbach ◽  
Agnes Mayr ◽  
...  

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