Atherosclerosis: A Longue Durée Approach

Wann, L. Samüel; Thompson, Randall C.; Allam, Adel H.; Finch, Caleb E.; Zink, Albert; Frøhlich, Bruno; Kaplan, Hillard; Lombardi, Guido P.; Sutherland, M. Linda; Sutherland, James D.; Watson, Lucia; Cox, Samantha L.; Miyamoto, Michael I.; Stewart, Alexandre F.R.; Narula, Jagat; Thomas, Gregory S.

doi:10.1016/j.gheart.2014.02.002

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Notably, in evolutionary terms, this would probably have become more relevant when agrarian societies emerged over the past ten thousand years or so and lifespans increased considerably. In fact, evidence of atherosclerosis has been detected in ancient human Egyptian mummies [ 72 ].…”

Section: The Cancer–atherosclerosis Trade-offmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telomere Length and the Cancer–Atherosclerosis Trade-Off

et al. 2016

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Modern humans, the longest-living terrestrial mammals, display short telomeres and repressed telomerase activity in somatic tissues compared with most short-living small mammals. The dual trait of short telomeres and repressed telomerase might render humans relatively resistant to cancer compared with short-living small mammals. However, the trade-off for cancer resistance is ostensibly increased age-related degenerative diseases, principally in the form of atherosclerosis. In this communication, we discuss (a) the genetics of human telomere length, a highly heritable complex trait that is influenced by genetic ancestry, sex, and paternal age at conception, (b) how cancer might have played a role in the evolution of telomere biology across mammals, (c) evidence that in modern humans telomere length is a determinant (rather than only a biomarker) of cancer and atherosclerosis, and (d) the potential influence of relatively recent evolutionary forces in fashioning the variation in telomere length across and within populations, and their likely lasting impact on major diseases in humans. Finally, we propose venues for future research on human telomere genetics in the context of its potential role in shaping the modern human lifespan.

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Section: The Cancer–atherosclerosis Trade-offmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telomere Length and the Cancer–Atherosclerosis Trade-Off

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several articles in this issue of Global Heart on mummies provide intriguing details on the value of genomic analyses and correlates in atherosclerosis and other diseases in ancient humans. [ 5 – 10 ]…”

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confidence: 99%