Brief report
Leisure-Time Screen-Based Sedentary Behavior and Leukocyte Telomere Length: Implications for a New Leisure-Time Screen-Based Sedentary Behavior Mechanism

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.02.018Get rights and content

Abstract

The field of sedentary behavior epidemiology is emerging. Short leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a hallmark characteristic of aging, but LTL is also associated with morbidity and mortality independent of age. To my knowledge, only one study has examined the association between sedentary behavior and LTL. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between screen-based sedentary behavior and LTL. Data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used (N=6405; age, 20-84 years). Leisure-time screen-based sedentary behavior (television, video games, computer use) was assessed via questionnaire, and LTL was extracted from DNA in whole blood with the LTL assay performed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. After adjustments (including age and physical activity), for every 1-hour increase in leisure-time screen-based sedentary behavior, participants had a 7% increased odds (odds ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.00-1.13; P=.04) of having LTL in the lowest tertile (vs highest); leisure-time screen-based sedentary behavior was not associated with values in the middle (vs highest) tertile (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.95-1.07; P=.62). The results of this study revealed that greater leisure-time screen-based sedentary behavior is associated with shorter LTL.

Section snippets

Study Design and Participants

Data were extracted from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (only cycles with LTL data). Procedures were approved by the National Center for Health Statistics Review Board. Consent was obtained from all participants. Analyses are based on data from 6405 adults (age, 20-84 years) who provided complete data for the study variables.

Leukocyte Telomere Length

Detailed methodology of the NHANES procedures for assessing LTL has been reported previously.8 Briefly, DNA was extracted from

Results

Table 1 displays the weighted unadjusted characteristics of the study sample. Participants with LTL values in the lowest (vs highest) tertile engaged in more sedentary behavior and less MVPA, were older, more likely to be non-Hispanic white, and less likely to have never smoked, had a higher BMI and higher CRP levels, and were more likely to have diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.

Across the 6 sedentary behavior levels (none [n=88], less than 1 h/d [n=705], 1 h/d [n=1062], 2

Discussion

Telomeres are protective nucleoprotein structures that promote chromosomal stability by capping the ends of the chromosomes, and shortening of the telomere causes cellular senescence.1 Telomeres are a biomarker of cellular aging and thus are associated with various age-related diseases.14 Leukocyte telomere length shortening, however, is not solely a marker of cellular aging given its health consequences across the life span. Leukocyte telomere length shortening is associated with morbidity15

Conclusion

In this national sample of US adults, leisure-time screen-based sedentary behavior was inversely associated with LTL. Specifically, after adjustments, for every 1-hour increase in leisure-time screen-based sedentary behavior, participants had a 7% increased odds of having LTL values in the lowest LTL tertile (vs highest). Future work should aim to address the limitations of this study by employing a prospective or experimental study design and utilizing an objective measure (eg, accelerometry)

References (25)

  • R.M. Cawthon

    Telomere measurement by quantitative PCR

    Nucleic Acids Res

    (2002)
  • M.A. McDowell et al.

    Health characteristics of U.S. adults by body mass index category: results from NHANES 1999-2002

    Public Health Rep

    (2006)
  • Cited by (19)

    • Randomized controlled trial investigating the experimental effects of reduced habitual physical activity on cardiometabolic profile

      2018, Physiology and Behavior
      Citation Excerpt :

      Regular participation in physical activity has preventive and treatment effects for a multitude of health outcomes [1,2]. Emerging work, including ours [3–6], has evaluated the independent association of sedentary behavior on various health outcomes [7–15]. Sedentary behavior is any waking behavior characterized by an energy expenditure ≤1.5 metabolic equivalents (METs), while in a sitting, reclining or lying posture [16].

    • The impact of overweight/obesity duration and physical activity on telomere length: An application of the WATCH paradigm

      2017, Obesity Research and Clinical Practice
      Citation Excerpt :

      This illustrates that physical activity may protect against the deleterious effects of overweight/obesity on shortening telomere length, however, it may not mitigate the effects of prolonged overweight/obesity. This study is in line with previous studies illustrating the negative effects of sedentary behaviour [2], and beneficial effects of physical activity [5] on leukocyte telomere length. While unknown, the direct association between physical activity and leukocyte telomere lengths may be related to improvements in antioxidative defense mechanisms to protect against damage to the telomere nucleotide sequences thought to occur from oxidative stress [12].

    • Sedentary behavior & health-related quality of life among congestive heart failure patients

      2016, International Journal of Cardiology
      Citation Excerpt :

      A considerable amount of research demonstrates that participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is favorably associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) [1–10], with emerging research also demonstrating that light-intensity physical activity (LIPA) is associated with HQROL [11–15]. Recent research suggests that, independent of physical activity, sedentary behavior (SB) is associated with unfavorable cardiometabolic-related outcomes [16–25]. Little research among adults, however, has examined the independent associations of SB on HRQOL [26–34].

    • Mode-specific physical activity and leukocyte telomere length among U.S. adults: Implications of running on cellular aging

      2016, Preventive Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      Taken together, these findings suggest that meeting MVPA guidelines via running, as opposed to meeting guidelines via any physical activity, may be important with regard to LTL levels. The present findings confirm previous research that demonstrates an association between physical activity engagement and longer LTL (Loprinzi, 2015a, 2015c; Loprinzi and Loenneke, 2015; Loprinzi et al., 2015; Ludlow et al., 2013; Ludlow and Roth, 2011). This study, however, adds to the literature by providing some suggestive evidence that running-specific physical activity may play an important role in LTL.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text