Association of sleep quality with telomere length, a marker of cellular aging: A retrospective cohort study of older adults in the United States

Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses reveal an association between short sleep duration or morning chronotype and altered leukocyte telomere length

Observational studies suggest certain sleep traits are associated with telomere length, but the causal nature of these associations is unclear. The study aimed to determine the causal associations between 11 sleep-related traits and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) through two-sample Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses using the summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies. Univariable Mendelian randomization indicates that genetically determined short sleep is associated with decreased LTL, while morning chronotype is associated with increased LTL. Multivariable Mendelian randomization further supports the findings and colocalization analysis identifies shared common genetic variants for these two associations. No genetic evidence is observed for associations between other sleep-related traits and LTL. Sensitivity MR methods, reverse MR and re-running MR after removing potential pleiotropic genetic variants enhance the robustness of the results. These findings indicate that prioritizing morning chronotype and avoiding short sleep is beneficial for attenuating telomere attrition. Consequently, addressing sleep duration and chronotype could serve as practical intervention strategies.

The association between sleep quality and telomere length: A systematic literature review

Several sleep parameters present an elevated risk for processes that contribute to cellular aging. Short sleep duration, sleep apnoea, and insomnia are significantly associated with shorter telomeres, a biological marker of cellular aging. However, there has been no review or analysis of studies that have examined the association between the psychological construct of sleep quality and telomere length. The present study aimed to provide a systematic review of the association between sleep quality and telomere length. A systematic review of English articles was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and Web of Science electronic databases, with the final search conducted on 3rd September 2021. Search terms included sleep quality, poor sleep, insomnia, sleep difficulties, sleep issue*, non-restorative sleep, telomere*, cellular aging, and immune cell telomere length. Study eligibility criteria included human participants aged 18 years or older and a reproducible methodology. Study appraisal and synthesis were completed using a systematic search in line with a PICOS approach (P = Patient, problem, or population; I = Intervention, prognostic factor, exposure; C = Comparison, control, or comparator; O = Outcomes; S = Study designs). Twenty-two studies met review inclusion criteria. Qualitative synthesis of the literature indicated insufficient evidence overall to support a significant association between sleep quality and telomere length. Limitations across studies were addressed, such as the assessment of examined constructs. Findings highlight important targets for future research, including the standardised operationalisation of the sleep quality construct and experimental study designs. Research in this area has clinical significance by identifying possible mechanisms that increase the risk for age-related disease and mortality. PROSPERO Registration No.: CRD 42021233139.

The Impact of Concussion, Sport, and Time in Season on Saliva Telomere Length in Healthy Athletes

To date, sport-related concussion diagnosis and management is primarily based on subjective clinical tests in the absence of validated biomarkers. A major obstacle to clinical validation and application is a lack of studies exploring potential biomarkers in non-injured populations. This cross-sectional study examined the associations between saliva telomere length (TL) and multiple confounding variables in a healthy university athlete population. One hundred eighty-three (108 male and 75 female) uninjured varsity athletes were recruited to the study and provided saliva samples at either pre- or mid-season, for TL analysis. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the associations between saliva TL and history of concussion, sport contact type, time in season (pre vs. mid-season collection), age, and sex. Results showed no significant associations between TL and history of concussion, age, or sport contact type. However, TL from samples collected mid-season were longer than those collected pre-season [β = 231.4, 95% CI (61.9, 401.0), p = 0.008], and males had longer TL than females [β = 284.8, 95% CI (111.5, 458.2), p = 0.001] when adjusting for all other variables in the model. These findings population suggest that multiple variables may influence TL. Future studies should consider these confounders when evaluating saliva TL as a plausible fluid biomarker for SRC.

Telomere and Telomerase: Biological Markers of Organic Vital Force State and Homeopathic Treatment Effectiveness

BACKGROUND

 Philosophical-scientific correlations described in previous studies suggest that the genome can be the biological representation of the vital force, whilst the disease-promoting epigenetic alterations would be the biological representation of the chronic miasmas. In this study, we expand the functional correlation between vital force and chromosomes, describing the mechanism of action of the telomere-telomerase complex in the context of physiological balance.

AIMS

 The aim of the work is to study the role of the telomere-telomerase complex in cell vitality, biological aging, and the health-disease process, with the goal of proposing the use of telomere length as a biomarker of the vital force state and the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment.

RESULTS

 Similar to the vital force, telomere length and telomerase enzyme activity play an important role in maintaining cellular vitality, biological longevity, and physiological homeostasis. Telomere shortening functions as a biomarker of vital imbalance and is associated with numerous diseases and health disorders. On the other hand, health-promotion practices neutralize the pathological shortening of the telomeres, acting therapeutically in diseases or age-dependent health disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

 As a hypothetical biomarker of the vital force state, an intra-individual analysis of the mean leukocyte telomere length before, during, and after homeopathic treatment can be used as a biomarker of therapeutic effectiveness.