Skip to main content

Is telomere length socially patterned? Evidence from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Robertson, T; Batty, GD; Der, G; Green, MJ; McGlynn, LM; McIntyre, A; Shiels, PG; Benzeval, M
Published in: PloS one
January 2012

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is strongly associated with an increased risk of morbidity and premature mortality, but it is not known if the same is true for telomere length, a marker often used to assess biological ageing. The West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study was used to investigate this and consists of three cohorts aged approximately 35 (N = 775), 55 (N = 866) and 75 years (N = 544) at the time of telomere length measurement. Four sets of measurements of SES were investigated: those collected contemporaneously with telomere length assessment, educational markers, SES in childhood and SES over the preceding twenty years. We found mixed evidence for an association between SES and telomere length. In 35-year-olds, many of the education and childhood SES measures were associated with telomere length, i.e. those in poorer circumstances had shorter telomeres, as was intergenerational social mobility, but not accumulated disadvantage. A crude estimate showed that, at the same chronological age, social renters, for example, were nine years (biologically) older than home owners. No consistent associations were apparent in those aged 55 or 75. There is evidence of an association between SES and telomere length, but only in younger adults and most strongly using education and childhood SES measures. These results may reflect that childhood is a sensitive period for telomere attrition. The cohort differences are possibly the result of survival bias suppressing the SES-telomere association; cohort effects with regard different experiences of SES; or telomere possibly being a less effective marker of biological ageing at older ages.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2012

Volume

7

Issue

7

Start / End Page

e41805

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Time Factors
  • Telomere Shortening
  • Telomere
  • Social Class
  • Scotland
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • General Science & Technology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Robertson, T., Batty, G. D., Der, G., Green, M. J., McGlynn, L. M., McIntyre, A., … Benzeval, M. (2012). Is telomere length socially patterned? Evidence from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study. PloS One, 7(7), e41805. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0041805
Robertson, Tony, G David Batty, Geoff Der, Michael J. Green, Liane M. McGlynn, Alan McIntyre, Paul G. Shiels, and Michaela Benzeval. “Is telomere length socially patterned? Evidence from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study.PloS One 7, no. 7 (January 2012): e41805. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0041805.
Robertson T, Batty GD, Der G, Green MJ, McGlynn LM, McIntyre A, et al. Is telomere length socially patterned? Evidence from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study. PloS one. 2012 Jan;7(7):e41805.
Robertson, Tony, et al. “Is telomere length socially patterned? Evidence from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study.PloS One, vol. 7, no. 7, Jan. 2012, p. e41805. Epmc, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041805.
Robertson T, Batty GD, Der G, Green MJ, McGlynn LM, McIntyre A, Shiels PG, Benzeval M. Is telomere length socially patterned? Evidence from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study. PloS one. 2012 Jan;7(7):e41805.

Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2012

Volume

7

Issue

7

Start / End Page

e41805

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Time Factors
  • Telomere Shortening
  • Telomere
  • Social Class
  • Scotland
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • General Science & Technology