Telomeres may predict heart disease risk: study
Scientists have discovered a potential new way to identify people who have a higher risk of developing heart disease.
Telomeres, tiny strands of DNA at the ends of chromosomes which seem to contain secrets about ageing, may also hold clues about who is more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease.
The researchers, who measured telomere length in leukocytes, or white blood cells, in 1,500 men aged 45 to 64 years old, found short telomeres indicate a higher likelihood of developing heart disease.
"We have shown that leukocyte telomere length is associated with future coronary heart disease events in middle aged, high risk men," Professor Nilesh Samani, of the University of Leicester, said in a report in The Lancet medical journal on Friday.
Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes from fraying. They shorten each time a cell divides and the loss is associated with ageing. As telomeres get smaller, the chromosomes can become unstable and at greater risk of mutation.
Earlier research had shown that people with heart disease have shorter telomeres but it was not clear until now if telomere length could be a predictive marker for the illness.
"They have shown that it is a predictor. It doesn't say it is functionally linked to heart disease but it is certainly associated with it," Professor Jeremy Pearson, of the British Heart Foundation, said in an interview.
He said the findings are also important in understanding the disease process and in finding ways to prevent heart attacks.
The researchers, who compared the length of telomeres of 484 men who went on to develop heart disease and 1,058 healthy men, found shorter telomere length was linked to disease risk.
Heart disease is a leading killer in industrialised countries. Smoking, being overweight or obese, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, diabetes and raised cholesterol levels increase the odds of developing the illness.
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