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Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Telomere Length and Telomerase Activity; A Yin and Yang of Cell Senescence
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Extracurricular physical activity and telomere length in childhood: findings from the INMA study

Desirée Valera-Gran1,2,3, Daniel Prieto-Botella4,5, Dries S Martens6

  • 1Department of Surgery and Pathology, Miguel Hernandez University, Alicante, Spain. dvalera@umh.es.

Pediatric Research
|October 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Higher extracurricular physical activity (PA) in 4-year-olds was linked to improved telomere length (TL) ranking by age 8. This suggests PA may protect against cellular aging in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Cellular Biology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Limited and inconsistent evidence exists on the relationship between physical activity (PA) and telomere length (TL) in childhood.
  • This study addresses the gap by examining extracurricular PA at age 4 and its impact on TL changes from age 4 to 8.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prospective association between extracurricular physical activity levels in early childhood and changes in telomere length ranking.
  • To determine if higher physical activity is linked to better telomere maintenance during childhood.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal analysis of 547 children (ages 4-8) from the INMA birth cohort.
  • Extracurricular PA assessed via parent reports at age 4, quantified using metabolic equivalents (METs) and categorized into tertiles.
  • Leukocyte telomere length (TL) measured at ages 4 and 8 using qPCR; primary outcome was percentage change in TL ranking.

Main Results:

  • Children with the highest tertile of extracurricular PA (11.9-31.0 METs h/day) showed a significant 2.25% increase in TL ranking between ages 4 and 8 (p=0.04).
  • No significant association was found for moderate PA levels (middle tertile).
  • The lowest PA tertile ranged from 2.2-7.8 METs h/day.

Conclusions:

  • Higher levels of extracurricular physical activity in early childhood are prospectively associated with improved telomere length ranking.
  • Findings suggest physical activity may play a role in reducing cellular damage and supporting healthy aging from a young age.
  • Promoting childhood physical activity could be a strategy to enhance cellular health and reduce chronic disease risk.
Abstract

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