Helicobacter pylori infection, serum pepsinogens as markers of atrophic gastritis, and leukocyte telomere length: a population-based study

Association Between Adverse Early Life Factors and Telomere Length in Middle and Late Life

Background and Objectives

Telomere length (TL) has been acknowledged as biomarker of biological aging. Numerous investigations have examined associations between individual early life factors and leukocyte TL; however, the findings were far from consistent.

Research Design and Methods

We evaluated the relationship between individual and combined early life factors and leukocytes TL in middle and late life using data from the UK Biobank. The early life factors (eg, maternal smoking, breastfeeding, birth weight, and comparative body size and height to peers at age 10) were measured. The regression coefficients (β) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were applied to assess the link of the early life factors and TL in adulthood. Flexible parametric survival models incorporated age to calculate the relationship between early life factors and life expectancy.

Results

Exposure to maternal smoking, lack of breastfeeding, low birth weight, and shorter height compared to peers at age 10 were identified to be associated with shorter TL in middle and older age according to the large population-based study with 197 504 participants. Individuals who experienced more than 3 adverse early life factors had the shortest TL in middle and late life (β = -0.053; 95% CI = -0.069 to -0.038; p < .0001), as well as an average of 0.54 years of life loss at the age of 45 and 0.49 years of life loss at the age of 60, compared to those who were not exposed to any early life risk factors.

Discussion and Implications

Early life factors including maternal smoking, non-breastfed, low birth weight, and shorter height compared to peers at age 10 were associated with shorter TL in later life. In addition, an increased number of the aforementioned factors was associated with a greater likelihood of shorter TL in adulthood, as well as a reduced life expectancy.

Infection and telomere length: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Telomeres are a measure of cellular ageing with potential links to diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Studies have shown that some infections may be associated with telomere shortening, but whether an association exists across all types and severities of infections and in which populations is unclear. Therefore we aim to collate available evidence to enable comparison and to inform future research in this field.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We will search for studies involving telomere length and infection in various databases including MEDLINE (Ovid interface), EMBASE (Ovid interface), Web of Science, Scopus, Global Health and the Cochrane Library. For grey literature, the British Library of electronic theses databases (ETHOS) will be explored. We will not limit by study type, geographical location, infection type or method of outcome measurement. Two researchers will independently carry out study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment using the ROB2 and ROBINS-E tools. The overall quality of the studies will be determined using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria. We will also evaluate study heterogeneity with respect to study design, exposure and outcome measurement and if there is sufficient homogeneity, a meta-analysis will be conducted. Otherwise, we will provide a narrative synthesis with results grouped by exposure category and study design.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The present study does not require ethical approval. Results will be disseminated via publishing in a peer-reviewed journal and conference presentations.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42023444854.

The relation between Helicobacter pylori immunoglobulin G seropositivity and leukocyte telomere length in US adults from NHANES 1999-2000

BACKGROUND

Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) immunoglobulin G (IgG) seropositivity is prevalent but its relation with leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a cellular aging biomarker, is unclear.

METHODS

Among 3,472 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycle 1999-2000, LTL was measured with the quantitative polymerase chain reaction. H pylori IgG was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and defined as seropositivity with an immune status ratio score > 0.9. We used linear regression models to examine the relation of H pylori IgG seropositivity with continuous LTL and logistic regression for the relation with short LTL (<10th percentile of the population distribution) adjusting for potential confounders. We stratified the analyses by a priori selected variables.

RESULTS

Population prevalence of H pylori IgG seropositivity was 31.5% in the overall population with higher prevalence found in those with older age, other races than non-Hispanic whites, lower education, and being born out of the United States. Continuous LTL was non-significantly shorter in those with H Pylori IgG seropositivity versus seronegativity (mean difference = -40.3 bp, 95% CI: -112.4, 31.9). This difference was not significant after adjusting for potential confounders nor stratifying by potential effect modifiers. H Pylori IgG seropositivity was significantly associated with short LTL among the elderly (55-75 years, adjusted OR: 3.06, 95% CI: 1.17, 7.99), but not in the overall population (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 0.81-2.02).

CONCLUSION

H Pylori IgG seropositivity was not associated with continuous LTL in the general population but may be associated with an excessively short LTL in the elderly.