Elite athletes have longer telomeres than sedentary subjects: A meta-analysis

Author(s)

Abrahin, Odilon ^[1] ; Cortinhas-Alves, Erik Artur ^[2] ; Vieira, Rodolfo Paula ^{[3, 4, 5, 6]} ; Guerreiro, Joao Farias ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Para UFPA, Posgrad Genet & Biol Mol, Rua Augusto Correa, 1 Guama, BR-66075110 Belem, Para - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Para UFPA, Lab Bioquim Exercicio, Travessa Perebebui 2623, BR-66087310 Belem, Para - Brazil

^[3] Brazilian Inst Teaching & Res Pulm & Exercise Imm, Rua Pedro Ernesto 240, BR-12245520 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Brasil, Postgrad Program Bioengn & Biomed Engn, Rua Carolina Fonseca 235, BR-08230030 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[5] Fed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Postgrad Program Sci Human Movement & Rehabil, Ave Ana Costa 95, BR-11060001 Santos, SP - Brazil

^[6] Univ Anhembi Morumbi, Sch Med, Ave Benedito Deputado Benedito Matarazzo 4050, BR-12230002 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Experimental Gerontology; v. 119, p. 138-145, MAY 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effects of high levels of physical activity (in elite athletes) and sedentary lifestyle on telomere length. Our meta-analysis was carried out using the following electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, LILACS, Science Direct and EBSCO. After study selection, nine articles were included in our meta-analysis. All of the included subjects were elite athletes (with experience in national or international competitions) or sedentary subjects, which served as the control group. The analysis showed that elite athletes (n = 306) had longer telomeres (P = 0.001) compared with the control group (n = 322). The difference in the standardized means was 0.91 (95% CI = 0.43-1.33; I-2 83.4% P value for heterogeneity = 0.001), favoring the athlete group. The analysis of the funnel plot did not detect any risk of publication bias in the studies that reported differences in means. Our results suggest that high level chronic physical training may provide protective effects on telomere length. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/15165-2 - Role of purinergic signaling and of SOCS-JAK-STAT signaling in the antiinflammatory effects of aerobic training in experimental models of asma and in asthmatic individuals
• Grantee: Rodolfo de Paula Vieira
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants