Mixed
Shorter blood telomere length (BTL) is associated with increased all-cause mortality risk in middle-aged individuals, whereas this association is absent or reversed in ultra-elderly populations (75+ years).
Blood telomere length (BTL) measurement can serve as a biomarker for mortality risk, but its interpretation is strictly age-dependent. For middle-aged adults (45-64), shorter telomeres correlate with higher mortality risk. However, for those over 75, this correlation disappears or reverses, likely due to survivor effects and biological changes in aging. Therefore, BTL should not be used as a standalone universal predictor of longevity without considering the patient's age cohort.
The inverse association between all-cause mortality and BTL in both middle-aged and ultra-elderly individuals supports the monitoring of telomere lengths... quantified as a 25% decrease in mortality risk/unit BTL... In contrast to studies of middle-aged and long-lived populations, several independent studies focusing on the elderly age group failed to show an association between telomere length and all-cause mortality... the tendency for an increase in telomere lengths in this age group.
Why this rating
Based on large observational cohorts (n>64,000) and Mendelian randomization studies, though observational nature limits causal inference.
Source
Telomere length measurement as a clinical biomarker of aging and disease
Clare L. Fasching · Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences · 2018
DOI 10.1080/10408363.2018.1504274
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