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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Telomere Length and Telomerase Activity; A Yin and Yang of Cell Senescence
Published on: May 22, 2013
No associations between telomere length and age-sensitive indicators of physical function in mid and later life
Karen Anne Mather1, Anthony Francis Jorm, Peter John Milburn
1Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. karen.mather@unsw.edu.au
Abstract:
Telomere length, which declines with age, has been hypothesized to act as an indicator of biological aging. If it fulfills this purpose, shorter telomere length should correlate with age-related loss of physical function, independent of age. In this cross-sectional Australian population study, the associations between peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length and age-sensitive indicators of physical function (lung function, blood pressure, and grip strength) were examined in two narrow age range cohorts aged 44-49 years (n = 351) and 64-70 years (n = 295). Telomere length was correlated with systolic blood pressure but only for women of the younger cohort and in the opposite direction to that expected (partial r = .181, p = .017). This evidence does not provide support for the hypothesis that telomere length is related to age-associated changes in physical function.
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