Telomere tracking from birth to adulthood and residential traffic exposure

Bijnens, Esmée M; Zeegers, Maurice P; Derom, Cathérine; Martens, Dries S; Gielen, Marij; Hageman, Geja J; Plusquin, Michelle; Thiery, Evert; Vlietinck, Robert; Nawrot, Tim

doi:10.1186/s12916-017-0964-8

Telomere tracking from birth to adulthood and residential traffic exposure

Author:

Bijnens, Esmée M

Zeegers, Maurice P ; Derom, Cathérine ; Martens, Dries S ; Gielen, Marij ; Hageman, Geja J ; Plusquin, Michelle ; Thiery, Evert ; Vlietinck, Robert ; Nawrot, Tim

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Medicine, General & Internal, General & Internal Medicine, Telomere length, Traffic, Tracking, AMBIENT AIR-POLLUTION, EARLY-LIFE, GESTATIONAL-AGE, BUCCAL CELLS, LENGTH, STRESS, PARTICLES, BLOOD, LEUKOCYTES, MORTALITY, Adolescent, Aging, Automobiles, Child, Child, Preschool, Environment, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Maternal Exposure, Mouth Mucosa, Placenta, Pregnancy, Prospective Studies, Telomere, Telomere Shortening, Twins, Young Adult, 11 Medical and Health Sciences, 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences, 42 Health sciences

Abstract:

Telomere attrition is extremely rapid during the first years of life, while lifestyle during adulthood exerts a minor impact. This suggests that early life is an important period in the determination of telomere length. We investigated the importance of the early-life environment on both telomere tracking and adult telomere length.