ArticleJournal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology2024
Annual space weather fluctuations and telomere length dynamics in a longitudinal cohort of older men: the Normative Aging Study.
Article in Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Space-Earth connection: How space weather fluctuations impact epigenetic aging in an elderly men cohort from Massachusetts, USA.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSpace weather has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in space and flight crew. However, limited research has focused on the ground population, particularly among the elderly who are vulnerable to aging-related diseases.
objectiveWe evaluated the association between space weather alterations and biological aging using leukocyte telomere length as a biomarker in healthy elderly men.
methodsWe used data from the Normative Aging Study, a longitudinal cohort of healthy elderly men in Massachusetts, USA. Leukocyte telomere length and health information were measured at in-person examinations approximately every three years, contributing to a total of 1,850 visits from 791 participants. Regional space weather information was collected daily, including cosmic ray-induced ionization, neutrons, sunspot number, interplanetary magnetic field, and Kp-index as our exposure of interest. We used mixed-effects models with a random intercept per individual to evaluate the associations between annual averages of space weather indicators and relative telomere length while accounting for participant demographics, environmental parameters, and secular trends.
resultsThe mean age at baseline was 72.36 years. A one-year increment in age is associated with a 1.21% reduction in leukocyte telomere length. In the fully adjusted model accounting for individual and environmental factors, an interquartile range (IQR) increase of annual cosmic ray induced ionization (110.0 ion pairs cm IMPACT: Galactic cosmic rays may accelerate the aging process in populations on the Earth, despite the protection by the Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field. This research enhances our understanding of how changes in space weather can impact health, highlights potential risks from space to Earth's inhabitants, and helps inform health strategies for vulnerable populations.
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