Current smoking can shorten telomere length, speed up aging process
Key takeaways:
- Current smoking and increased pack-years were each linked to reduced leucocyte telomere length.
- Never-smokers did not have shorter telomere length.
Current smoking status was related to shortened leucocyte telomere length, signaling faster aging among cigarette smokers, according to a presentation at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.
“Our study shows that smoking status and cigarette quantity can result in the shortening of leucocyte telomere length (LTL), which is an indicator of tissue self-repair, regeneration and aging,” Siyu Dai, PhD, assistant professor in the school of clinical medicine at Hangzhou Normal University and honorary postdoctoral researcher in the department of pediatrics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, said in a press release from the European Respiratory Society. “In other words, smoking can accelerate the process of aging, while quitting may considerably decrease the related risk.”
In a Mendelian randomization study using data and blood tests from the U.K. Biobank, Dai and colleagues assessed 472,174 individuals to determine if current and previous smoking status, as well as smoking quantity, are causally related to reduced LTL.
Among the total cohort, researchers found 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) — variations in inherited genes — in current cigarette smokers, 20 SNPs in previous smokers, 78 SNPs in never-smokers and 11 SNPs related to smoking pack-years.
When evaluating the different types of smokers, researchers observed a significant link between current cigarette smoking and shorter LTL (r = –0.27; P = .013). In contrast, they found a significant link between never smoking and LTL that was not reduced (r = 0.21; P < .0001).
Among previous smokers, researchers found a negative trend signaling shorter LTL (r = –0.15), but this relationship did not end up being statistically significant.
Also, having more pack-years of cigarette smoking also appeared significantly associated with shorter LTL (r = –0.08; P = .008), according to researchers.
“Our study adds to the evidence that smoking causes aging,” Dai said in the release. “As there are clear health benefits of smoking cessation, it is time to include cessation support as well as treatment into daily clinical management to help us to create a smoke-free environment for the next generation.”
In terms of future research, one potential study idea involves looking into how passive smoking impacts LTL, according to the release.
Reference:
- Genetic evidence shows that smoking can cause us to age faster. https://www.ersnet.org/news-and-features/news/genetic-evidence-shows-that-smoking-can-cause-us-to-age-faster/. Published Sept. 12, 2023. Accessed Sept. 12, 2023.