New research has found that current smokers have significantly shorter leucocyte telomere lengths, indicating accelerated aging and decreased cellular self-repair and regeneration; quitting smoking can potentially reduce this risk. The findings add to the growing body of evidence that smoking contributes to aging and is associated with numerous diseases, and they advocate for the inclusion of smoking cessation support in clinical management.
A study of nearly 500,000 people indicates that smoking reduces the length of telomeres, the terminal segments of chromosomes found in white blood cells integral to our immune systems. The measurement of these telomeres serves as a gauge for determining our rate of aging and the ability of our cells to mend and rejuvenate themselves.
In her presentation to the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy, Dr. Siyu Dai, who is an assistant professor in the School of Clinical Medicine, Hangzhou Normal University, and also an honorary postdoctoral researcher in the department of pediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: “Our study shows that smoking status and cigarette quantity can result in the shortening of leucocyte telomere length, which is an indicator of tissue self-repair, regeneration and aging. In other words, smoking can accelerate the process of aging, while quitting may considerably decrease the related risk.”
Telomeres are like the plastic or metal sheathes at the end of shoelaces, which prevent the shoelaces from fraying. They are lengths of repetitive DNADNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule composed of two long strands of nucleotides that coil around each other to form a double helix. It is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms that carries genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]”>DNA sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres become slightly shorter, eventually becoming so short that the cell can no longer divide successfully, and it dies.
This is part of the aging process. Telomere length in white blood cells (called leucocytes) has been linked previously to smoking, but, until now, there has been little research into whether smoking status and the quantity of cigarettes smoked actually caused the shortening in telomere length.
Dr Dai and her colleague Dr Feng Chen, from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, analyzed data from the UK Biobank, which contains genetic and health information from half a million UK participants. They looked at whether a person was a current smoker, previous smoker, or had never smoked, their level of addiction to smoking, how many cigarettes they smoked (the pack years of cigarette consumption), as well as information on leucocyte telomere length taken from blood tests.
Smoking and the quantity of cigarettes smoked shorten telomeres in the chromosomes of leucocytes. Credit: Dr Siyu Dai
They used a method called Mendelian randomization, which uses the variations in genes (known as single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) that are inherited from our parents, to infer how exposure to a modifiable environmental factor (such as smoking) is causally related to a disease or health condition (such as shorter leucocyte telomeres). Mendelian randomization avoids the problem of other, often unknown factors affecting the results, thereby enabling researchers to investigate whether a particular factor is the cause of a condition, rather than just being associated with it.
The researchers used data from 472,174 UK Biobank participants, and 113 SNPs relating to smoking status (15 SNPs for current smokers, 78 SNPs for never-smokers, and 20 SNPs for people who had smoked previously).
“We found that current smoking status was statistically significantly associated with shorter leucocyte telomere length, whereas previous smokers and people who had never smoked didn’t show significantly shorter leucocyte telomere length. Among people who used to smoke, there was a trend towards shorter telomere length, but this was not statistically significant. People who smoked the greater number of cigarettes had significantly shorter leucocyte telomere length. In summary, smoking may cause the shortening of leucocyte telomere length, and the more cigarettes smoked, the stronger the shortening effect,” said Dr Dai.
“In recent years, observational studies have linked shortened leucocyte telomere length with many diseases, such as cardiovascular diseaseCardiovascular disease refers to a group of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and stroke. It is caused by a variety of factors, including lifestyle choices (such as smoking and poor diet), genetics, and underlying medical conditions (such as high blood pressure and diabetes). Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, but can often be prevented or managed through lifestyle changes, medications, and medical procedures such as bypass surgery and angioplasty.” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]”>cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and muscle loss. This means that the effect of smoking on telomere length probably plays a critical role in these diseases, although more research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms.
“Our study adds to the evidence that smoking causes aging. As there are clear health benefits of smoking cessation, it is time to include cessation support as well as treatment into daily clinical management to help us to create a smoke-free environment for the next generation.”
Dr Dai and Dr Chen will carry out further research to validate the current findings. They are also interested in exploring further the effect of passive smoke exposure on tissue self-repair, regeneration, and aging, particularly in the way that it could affect children.
Professor Jonathan Grigg, Chair of the European Respiratory Society Tobacco Control Committee, was not involved with this research. He commented: “This study addresses the question of whether smoking affects telomere lengths. Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes. If telomeres become short, cells can no longer divide successfully, and they die. Dr Dai and her colleagues, in a study of half a million adults, show a clear association between smoking and reduced telomere length. This study applied Mendelian randomization, a well-known method for providing good levels of evidence and being able to show causal relationships, to support previous, observational studies suggesting that smoking causes aging, while quitting may reverse this effect. It will be interesting to see what the researchers have found in relation to the effects of passive smoking on telomere length.”
Reference: “The causal relationship between smoking conditions and telomere length: a mendelian randomization study in UK biobank” by Siyu Dai et al, 12 September 2023, European Respiratory Society International Congress 2023.
The research was funded by Hangzhou Normal University.
Source: SciTechDaily
