ArticlePloS one2017
Effects of size at birth, childhood growth patterns and growth hormone treatment on leukocyte telomere length.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stress and telomere length in leukocytes: Investigating the role of GABRA6 gene polymorphism and cortisol.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Obesity at Age 6 Months Is Associated with Shorter Preschool Leukocyte Telomere Length Independent of Parental Telomere Length.The Journal of pediatrics · 2021Article
- Longitudinal telomere length and body composition in healthy term-born infants during the first two years of life.PloS one · 2021Article
- Evidence for Accelerated Biological Aging in Young Adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2020Article
- Micronutrient status and leukocyte telomere length in school-age Colombian children.European journal of nutrition · 2020Article
- Intermittent hypoxia suppression of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I in the neonatal rat liver.Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society · 2018Article
- Somatic growth and telomere dynamics in vertebrates: relationships, mechanisms and consequences.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSmall size at birth and rapid growth in early life are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease in later life. Short children born small for gestational age (SGA) are treated with growth hormone (GH), inducing catch-up in length. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a marker of biological age and shorter LTL is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
objectivesTo investigate whether LTL is influenced by birth size, childhood growth and long-term GH treatment.
methodsWe analyzed LTL in 545 young adults with differences in birth size and childhood growth patterns. Previously GH-treated young adults born SGA (SGA-GH) were compared to untreated short SGA (SGA-S), SGA with spontaneous catch-up to a normal body size (SGA-CU), and appropriate for gestational age with a normal body size (AGA-NS). LTL was measured using a quantitative PCR assay.
resultsWe found a positive association between birth length and LTL (p = 0.04), and a trend towards a positive association between birth weight and LTL (p = 0.08), after adjustments for gender, age, gestational age and adult body size. Weight gain during infancy and childhood and fat mass percentage were not associated with LTL. Female gender and gestational age were positively associated with LTL, and smoking negatively. After adjustments for gender, age and gestational age, SGA-GH had a similar LTL as SGA-S (p = 0.11), SGA-CU (p = 0.80), and AGA-NS (p = 0.30).
conclusionsLarger size at birth is positively associated with LTL in young adulthood. Growth patterns during infancy and childhood are not associated with LTL. Previously GH-treated young adults born SGA have similar LTL as untreated short SGA, SGA with spontaneous catch-up and AGA born controls, indicating no adverse effects of GH-induced catch-up in height on LTL.
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Registered trials
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