Elite swimmers possess shorter telomeres than recreationally active controls

Nickels, Matt; Mastana, Sarabjit S.; Denniff, Matthew; Codd, Veryan; Akam, Elizabeth Claire

doi:10.1016/j.gene.2020.145242

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(65 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Average A260/280 values across all participants were acceptable (1.93 ± 0.02). TL was quantified in leukocytes according to the qPCR method previously described (Nickels et al, 2021). Intra-assay coefficient of variation for calculated T/S ratio was 4.6%.…”

Section: Dna Extraction and Telomere Assaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilates and telomere dynamics: A 12-month longitudinal study

Nickels¹,

Mastana²,

Denniff³

et al. 2022

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Dna Extraction and Telomere Assaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilates and telomere dynamics: A 12-month longitudinal study

Nickels¹,

Mastana²,

Denniff³

et al. 2022

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…However, for example, individual humans vary in how they respond to the intensity and duration of exercise training, exhibiting so-called 'exercise phenotypes' that are associated with allelic variants at several genomic loci (e.g. Bouchard et al, 2011;Bray et al, 2009;Nickels et al, 2020). An extreme example of how activity influences the expression of life-history, reproductive and sexually selected traits is hypogonadism, which is common in ultra-endurance and elite athletes (Hackney, 2020;Nickels et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bouchard et al, 2011;Bray et al, 2009;Nickels et al, 2020). An extreme example of how activity influences the expression of life-history, reproductive and sexually selected traits is hypogonadism, which is common in ultra-endurance and elite athletes (Hackney, 2020;Nickels et al, 2020). It is also generally well established that when humans engage in acute, extremely intense and prolonged exercise, they suffer from increased oxidative damage (Pontzer, 2018;Powers and Jackson, 2008) and shortened telomeres (Borghini et al, 2015;Denham, 2019;Ludlow et al, 2013;Nickels et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exercise training has morph-specific effects on telomere, body condition and growth dynamics in a color-polymorphic lizard

Friesen

Wilson

Rollings

et al. 2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) are correlated suites of sexually selected traits that are likely to impose differential physiological costs on different individuals. While moderate activity might be beneficial, animals living in the wild often work at the margins of their resources and performance limits. Individuals using ARTs may have divergent capacities for activity. When pushed beyond their respective capacities, they may experience condition loss, oxidative stress, and molecular damage that must be repaired with limited resources. We used the Australian painted dragon lizard that exhibits color-polymorphism as a model to experimentally test the effect of exercise on body condition, growth, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and telomere dynamics—a potential marker of stress and aging and a correlate of longevity. For most males, ROS tended to be lower with greater exercise; however, males with yellow throat patches—or bibs—had higher ROS than non-bibbed males. At the highest level of exercise, bibbed males exhibited telomere loss, while non-bibbed males gained telomere length; the opposite pattern was observed in the no-exercise controls. Growth was positively related to food intake but negatively correlated with telomere length at the end of the experiment. Body condition was not related to food intake but was positively correlated with increases in telomere length. These results, along with our previous work, suggest that aggressive—territory holding—bibbed males suffer physiological costs that may reduce longevity compared to non-bibbed males with superior postcopulatory traits.

show abstract

The influence of perceived stress and motivation on telomere length among NCAA swimmers

Nanda,

Logan,

Tennyson

2024

American J Hum Biol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionTelomere length (TL) shortening is associated with increased cellular senescence and functional decline with age. Regular physical activity is posited to safeguard against TL shortening, but there is disagreement on how concurrent psychosocial stress may influence this relationship. The current analysis explored whether psychosocial stress is associated with TL differences in highly physically active individuals.MethodsTL was measured from capillary dried blood spots collected from Division‐I (D‐1) and Division‐III (D‐3) National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) swimmers (N = 28) and non‐athlete students from the same schools (N = 15). All participants completed Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and student‐athletes completed an additional questionnaire to assess psychosocial factors associated with their lifestyle; The Student Athletes' Motivation towards Sports and Academics Questionnaire (SAMSAQ). Semi‐structured interviews further contextualized how student‐athletes internalize their stress.ResultsThere was no significant difference in TL or PSS scores between swimmers and controls. D‐1 swimmers reported significantly higher career and student‐athlete motivation scores compared to D‐3, but non‐significantly higher PSS and similar academic motivation scores. Themes from interviews with collegiate swimmers included COVID‐19 stress, fear of injury, pressure from academics, expectations to perform, and financial pressures.ConclusionsThese themes may have contributed to higher PSS scores in D‐1 swimmers compared to D‐3 but did not appear to impact their TL. Given differences in perceived stress, sources of stress, and SAMSAQ scores, further analyses with larger sample sizes are needed to better understand how these factors influence human biology and health while engaged in intense physical activity.

show abstract

Elite swimmers possess shorter telomeres than recreationally active controls

Cited by 6 publications

References 41 publications

Pilates and telomere dynamics: A 12-month longitudinal study

Pilates and telomere dynamics: A 12-month longitudinal study

Exercise training has morph-specific effects on telomere, body condition and growth dynamics in a color-polymorphic lizard

The influence of perceived stress and motivation on telomere length among NCAA swimmers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About