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Ann Robinson’s research reviews—27 January 2022

These protective DNA caps at the ends of most of our chromosomes shortenwith each cell cycle. Leucocyte telomere length (LTL) is a biomarker for cell damage and can be seen as a mitotic clock, ticking away as we age. A cohort study using UK Biobank data from more than 450 000 people, and with a follow-up of over five million person-years, found that shorter baseline LTL was associated with a small increased mortality rate overall and an increase in some disease-specific mortalities such as deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory disease.1 It’s complicated, however: shorter LTLwasn’t associated with an increase in total cancer-related deaths, although some cancers such as myeloid and oesophageal cancers were more prevalent. Smoking and alcohol consumption were associated with shorter LTL, but adjustment for both factors didn’t change the overall results. This important study confirms the impression that LTL on its own is unlikely to become a meaningful marker for overall mortality.