ArticleNature aging2022
Measurement and initial characterization of leukocyte telomere length in 474,074 participants in UK Biobank.
Article in Nature aging, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 137 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
137 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 222 citations in OpenAlex.
- Genome-wide meta-analysis across East Asian and European populations provides insights into the molecular basis of lung cancer.Genome medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Telomere length and chronological age across the human lifespan: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 414 study samples including 743,019 individuals.Ageing research reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Lifetime non-relational traumatic experiences are associated with biological ageing.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Quantile regression of the relationship between demographic factors and leukocyte telomere length, measured by Southern blot and qPCR.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Dietary preference, biological aging, and incident dementia: a prospective cohort study.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Integrative prediction of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias using multi-omics aging clocks and genetic data.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Observational
- Article
- Causal relationship between aging-related biomarkers and osteoporosis: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Article
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- Prenatal tobacco exposure and adult offspring brain health: the mediating role of leukocyte telomere length in a large population-based cohort.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- An ageing biomarker signature predicts chronic disease cluster trajectories, physical function and mortality: validation in the TILDA and HRS cohorts.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- GWAS reveals common SLX4 variants associated with telomere length and hypertension in individuals of African ancestry.Genes & genomics · 2026Article
- A telomere-lipid-immunity axis linking viral integration to autoimmune disease risk.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Adverse events in both childhood and adulthood are associated with molecular, clinical and functional markers of ageing.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Longer leukocyte telomere length increases the odds of premature rupture of membranes: a cross-sectional study based on UK Biobank.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Genomic, phenomic and geographic associations of leukocyte telomere length in the United States.Nature genetics · 2026Article
- Polygenic risk and rare variants in endotypes of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a genetic analysis of population-based and case-control cohorts.The Lancet. Respiratory medicine · 2026Article
- Chronic inflammation mediates the relationship between physical activity and telomere length.GeroScience · 2026Article
- The Association Between Depression and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Prospective Study in the UK Biobank.Journal of epidemiology and global health · 2026Article
77 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
23 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a proposed marker of biological age. Here we report the measurement and initial characterization of LTL in 474,074 participants in UK Biobank. We confirm that older age and male sex associate with shorter LTL, with women on average ~7 years younger in 'biological age' than men. Compared to white Europeans, LTL is markedly longer in African and Chinese ancestries. Older paternal age at birth is associated with longer individual LTL. Higher white cell count is associated with shorter LTL, but proportions of white cell subtypes show weaker associations. Age, ethnicity, sex and white cell count explain ~5.5% of LTL variance. Using paired samples from 1,351 participants taken ~5 years apart, we estimate the within-individual variability in LTL and provide a correction factor for this. This resource provides opportunities to investigate determinants and biomedical consequences of variation in LTL.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.