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Longevity

Telomere LengtheningEvidence & Dosage

Telomerase activation, TA‑65, and lifestyle effects.

Studies last updated

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
1,000
With abstract
50
Meta / Systematic / RCT
130
Highly cited
50
Publication years
1992–2026

Telomere Lengthening in the context of Longevity

This topic is part of our "Longevity" world. There you'll find methodology, evidence and the highest-impact levers — plus the order in which they sensibly build on each other.

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Top studies on Telomere Lengthening

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. Telomere Length and All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-analysis.

    Ageing Res Rev2018n=121,749Meta-Analysis112 influential citations

    Telomere attrition is associated with increased morbidity and mortality of various age-related diseases. Reports of association between telomere length (TL) and all-cause mortality remain inconsistent. In the present study, a meta-analysis…

  2. Body mass index is negatively associated with telomere length: a collaborative cross-sectional meta-analysis of 87 observational studies.

    Am J Clin Nutr2018n=146,114Meta-Analysis64 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Even before the onset of age-related diseases, obesity might be a contributing factor to the cumulative burden of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation throughout the life course. Obesity may therefore contribute to…

    Finding: In the pooled sample, each 1-unit increase in BMI was associated with a shorter absolute leukocyte telomere length by -3.99 bp.

  3. The Effect of Nutrition on Aging-A Systematic Review Focusing on Aging-Related Biomarkers.

    Nutrients2022n=36Systematic Review60 influential citations

    Despite the increasing life expectancy, an individual’s later years tends to be accompanied by a decrease in the quality of life. Though biological changes that occur through the natural process of aging cannot be controlled, the risk…

  4. Adverse childhood experiences, epigenetics and telomere length variation in childhood and beyond: a systematic review of the literature.

    Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry2020n=849Systematic Review59 influential citations

    A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted to answer the question: What epigenetic, telomeric and associated biological changes are associated with exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the under 12s? Using…

  5. Telomere length predicts poststroke mortality, dementia, and cognitive decline.

    Annals of neurology200652 influential citations

    <h4>Objective</h4>Long-term cognitive development is variable among stroke survivors, with a high proportion developing dementia. Early identification of those at risk is highly desirable to target interventions for secondary prevention.…

  6. Impact of Nutrition on Telomere Health: Systematic Review of Observational Cohort Studies and Randomized Clinical Trials.

    Adv Nutr2020Systematic Review50 influential citations

    Diet, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors have been implicated in the pathophysiology of several chronic diseases, but also in a lower total mortality and longer life expectancy. One of the mechanisms in which diet can reduce…

  7. Telomere length and brain aging: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Ageing Res Rev2022n=110Meta-Analysis50 influential citations

    The current evidence on the association of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with age-related structural and cognitive changes in the brain is mixed. Herein conforming to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we performed a systematic review and…

    Finding: No significant association of leukocyte telomere length with brain white matter hyperintensities was detected.

  8. Air pollution and telomere length in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

    Environ Pollut2019n=19Meta-Analysis45 influential citations

    Telomere length (TL) has been suggested to be a surrogate for cellular ageing, and a record of cumulative inflammation and oxidative stress over life. An emerging body of evidence has associated exposure to air pollution to changes in TL.…

    Finding: Polychlorinated Biphenyls were directly associated with telomere length in the meta-analysis.

  9. Association between TERT promoter mutations and clinical behaviors in differentiated thyroid carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Endocrine2020n=11,382Meta-Analysis42 influential citations

    Background The association between telomerase reverse transcriptase ( TERT ) promoter mutations and some clinical behaviors in thyroid cancer remains controversial and requires additional investigation. This study aimed to evaluate the…

  10. Physical Activity on Telomere Length as a Biomarker for Aging: A Systematic Review.

    Sports Med Open2022n=43Systematic Review41 influential citations

    Background Overall life expectancy continues to rise, approaching 80 years of age in several developed countries. However, healthy life expectancy lags far behind, which has, in turn, contributed to increasing costs in healthcare. One way…

Frequently asked

What dosage was studied?
• Telomere length measurement (leukocyte telomere length) (One standard deviation decrement in leukocyte telomere length; shortest vs longest TL quarter) • Higher body mass index (BMI) (Per 1 unit increase in BMI) • Various nutritional patterns and components (e.g., Mediterranean diet, ketogenic diet, DASH, Nordic diets, green tea catechins, potassium, CoQ, virgin olive oil) (Not reported; varied by included study)
Are there safety considerations for Telomere Lengthening?
• Not reported • No adverse events reported; observational meta-analysis. • No specific adverse events reported in the excerpt. • Extreme exercise bouts were associated with reduced relative TL during/after a 330 km race.

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