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Updated: Feb 23, 2026
Telomere Length and Telomerase Activity; A Yin and Yang of Cell Senescence
Published on: May 22, 2013
Correlation of cord blood telomere length with birth weight
Siew-Peng Lee1, Prakash Hande2, George Sh Yeo3
1Research Laboratory, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore, Singapore.
Insights
Newborns with lower birth weight, including those small for gestational age (SGA), are born with shorter telomeres. This finding suggests a potential link between birth weight and early cellular aging markers.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Neonatal Health
- Aging Research
Background:
- Intrauterine growth restriction impacts 3% of newborns, with the lightest 10% classified as small for gestational age (SGA).
- Low-birth weight newborns face increased risks of neonatal complications (hypoxia, hypoglycemia) and later-life diseases (cardiovascular, metabolic, dementia).
- Short telomeres are associated with age-related diseases, prompting investigation into their length at birth in relation to birth weight.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between birth weight and telomere length in newborns.
- To determine if newborns classified as small for gestational age (SGA) exhibit shorter telomeres at birth.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure relative telomere lengths in cord blood samples.
- Samples were obtained from 195 newborns of Chinese ancestry.
- Telomere length was normalized to a single copy gene and a reference DNA sample.
Main Results:
- Statistically significant correlations were found between relative telomere length and both unadjusted and gestational age-adjusted birth weight.
- Newborns with lower birth weights exhibited shorter telomeres.
- The small for gestational age (SGA) birth weight group had the shortest telomeres compared to other birth weight groups.
Conclusions:
- Cord blood telomere length is reduced in newborns with lower birth weights.
- This suggests that birth weight may be a factor influencing telomere length at birth.
Background:
Intrauterine growth restriction affects 3% of newborns; and the lightest 10% of whom are classified as small for gestational age (SGA). These low-birth weight newborns are at increased risk of neonatal morbidity such as hypoxia and hypoglycaemia. In later life, they are at higher risk of several age-related diseases such as cardiovascular and metabolic disorders and dementia. As having short telomeres is also associated with these diseases, we tested if these newborns might already start with shorter telomeres at birth.
Findings:
Relative telomere lengths were determined using quantitative real-time PCR in cord blood samples from 195 newborns of Chinese ancestry. Based on the telomere length normalised to a single copy gene and a reference DNA sample as internal control, we found statistically significant correlations between relative telomere length and both unadjusted and gestational age-adjusted birth weight, with the lighter newborns having shorter telomeres. The SGA birth weight group comprising the bottom 10% of the samples also had the shortest telomeres compared to the medium and heaviest birth weight groups.
Conclusions:
Our results indicate that there is reduction of cord blood telomere length for newborns with lower birth weight.
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