Early Childhood Predicts Telomere Length

Telomeres are found to shorten most rapidly during early childhood as replicated by the animal model studies for the first time.

Initial setting of Telomere length (TL) during prenatal development and in the first years of life may determine one's TL throughout childhood and potentially even into adulthood or older age. This TL is also found to decrease most rapidly from birth to age 3, followed by a period of maintenance into the pre-puberty period (although sometimes it might lengthen) as per a study at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

Telomeres are protective caps on the tip of the genetic material – DNA that tend to shorten as we grow older. The study team followed children from birth to age 9 to evaluate the telomere length.

Telomere Shortening And Ageing
Telomeres are cap- like structures at chromosome ends that play an important role in ageing and in the initiation and progression of various diseases.

‘Telomeres are found to shorten most rapidly during early childhood as replicated by the animal model studies for the first time. Further analysis is required to understand the biological mechanisms that drive the variability in the rate of TL change during the first years of life & contributing environmental factors that can be modified.’

They used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to measure TL in white blood cells isolated from cord blood and blood collected at ages 3, 5, 7, and 9, from 224 children. They also measured maternal TL at delivery in a subset of mothers.

Changes in Telomere Length

It was discovered that a newborn TL is predicted by a mother's TL and tracks with her child's TL through pre-adolescence. Although the telomeres tend to shorten with age, the explanation behind faster shortening or lengthened telomeres (as observed in studies) in some children is unknown. One of the speculated reasons being the susceptibility to environmental pollutants.

Signs of Healthy Aging Detected in Ergothioneine Telomere Study
Ergothioneine, consumed as part of a healthy diet, could potentially mitigate the adverse effects of oxidative stress and support healthy aging.

"Given the importance of telomere length in cellular health and aging, it is critical to understand the dynamics of telomeres in childhood. The rapid rate of telomere attrition between birth and age 3 years may render telomeres particularly susceptible to environmental influences during this developmental window, potentially influencing life-long health and longevity," says senior author Julie Herbstman, Ph.D., director of CCCEH and associate professor of environmental health science at Columbia Mailman School.

However further analysis is required to understand the biological mechanisms that drive the variability in the rate of TL change during the first years of life, as well as modifiable environmental factors that contribute to shifts in the rate of attrition.

Telomeres Can Prevent Cancer
Telomeres shortening is proven to have a protective function in cancer.

Source-Medindia