Short telomeres by the research team are at risk of dementia and depression ↑…a healthy lifestyle is a preventive measure

Jun 12, 2025

Short telomeres by the research team are at risk of dementia and depression ↑…a healthy lifestyle is a preventive measure
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Amid active research on 'telomere', which plays a role in determining the number and lifespan of cells, a team led by Professor Christopher Anderson of Harvard Medical School in the United States has found that shorter telomeres increase the risk of aging-related brain diseases, but healthy lifestyles can lower this risk. The study, which analyzed the health data of 350,000 Britons, was published in the Journal of Neurology (AAN).

The research team analyzed data from 356,173 UK Biobank participants (average age of 56 years) to reveal the association between aging-related brain diseases and white blood cell telomere length (LTL). First, we divided into short, intermediate, and long groups according to the length of leukocyte telomere, and divided into good and bad groups according to the McCanns Brain Health Score (BCS), which assesses brain disease risk factors such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and lifestyle, and then followed up with the occurrence of three brain diseases for 7 years.

During this period, 25,964 people developed any of the three brain diseases. For the group with shorter telomere length, the incidence was 5.82 cases per 1000 persons (one year observed one person for one year), and the group with longer telomeres was 3.92 cases per 1000 persons. The research team explained that considering risk factors such as age, high blood pressure, and smoking, the group with short telomeres had an 11% higher risk of developing one or more of the three brain diseases than the long group. The risk of dementia was 19% higher in the group with shorter telomeres than in the group with longer telomeres, and the risk of depression and stroke in old age was 14% and 8%, respectively.




However, reflecting the Brain Health Score (BCS), which includes lifestyle factors, etc., people with high BCS within the group with short telomeres did not significantly increase the risk of stroke, dementia, and depression. The research team explained that short telomere lengths have not been found in people with healthy lifestyles, such as maintaining healthy eating habits and keeping cholesterol and blood pressure low, and that the findings suggest that people who already show signs of biological aging can also reduce the risk of brain diseases through healthy lifestyles.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.