Journal
MEDICINE AND SCIENCE IN SPORTS AND EXERCISE
Volume 47, Issue 11, Pages 2347-2352Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000695
Keywords
AGING; EPIDEMIOLOGY; PHYSICAL ACTIVITY; NHANES
Categories
Funding
- NIA NIH HHS [R01 AG033592] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Introduction Short leukocyte telomere length (LTL) has become a hallmark characteristic of aging. Some, but not all, evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) may play an important role in attenuating age-related diseases and may provide a protective effect for telomeres. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between PA and LTL in a national sample of US adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2002 (n = 6503; 20-84 yr) were used. Four self-report questions related to movement-based behaviors (MBB) were assessed. The four MBB included whether individuals participated in moderate-intensity PA, vigorous-intensity PA, walking/cycling for transportation, and muscle-strengthening activities. An MBB index variable was created by summing the number of MBB an individual engaged in (range, 0-4). Results A clear dose-response relation was observed between MBB and LTL; across the LTL tertiles, respectively, the mean numbers of MBB were 1.18, 1.44, and 1.54 (P-trend < 0.001). After adjustments (including age) and compared with those engaging in 0 MBB, those engaging in 1, 2, 3, and 4 MBB, respectively, had a 3% (P = 0.84), 24% (P = 0.02), 29% (P = 0.04), and 52% (P = 0.004) reduced odds of being in the lowest (vs highest) tertile of LTL; MBB was not associated with being in the middle (vs highest) tertile of LTL. Conclusions Greater engagement in MBB was associated with reduced odds of being in the lowest LTL tertile.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available