Abstract
Patients with depression have an increased risk for many aging-related disorders, but the biological mechanisms underlying this link remain to be determined. Here we examined the association between depressive symptoms and leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of biological aging, among 2,175 American Indians participating in the Strong Heart Family Study. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D), which was categorized into four levels: none (< 10), mild (10-15), moderate (16-24), and severe (> 24). LTL (T/S ratio) was quantified by qPCR. The association between depressive symptoms and LTL was examined by multivariate generalized estimating equation models, adjusting for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors, and chronic conditions. Results showed that individuals with a higher level of depressive symptoms had shorter LTL. Specifically, LTL in participants reporting none, mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms were 1.000, 0.999, 0.988, and 0.966, respectively (P for trend = 0.0278). Moreover, gender appears to modulate the effect of reported depressive symptoms that fall in the severe range (CES-D > 24) on LTL (P for interaction = 0.0346). Our results suggest that depressive symptoms may accelerate biological aging through pathways beyond traditional risk factors in American Indians.
Highlights
Major depressive disorder (MDD), the second leading cause of disability worldwide, affects about 6.7% of the US population aged 18 years and older in any given calendar year and poses a huge burden on public health and economics [1]
We examined the association between depressive symptoms and leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a marker of biological aging, among 2,175 American Indians participating in the Strong Heart Family Study
This study provides initial evidence for an association between depressive symptoms and LTL in a large sample of geographically diverse American Indians
Summary
Major depressive disorder (MDD), the second leading cause of disability worldwide, affects about 6.7% of the US population aged 18 years and older in any given calendar year and poses a huge burden on public health and economics [1]. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences on the distal ends of the chromosomes. They are critical in maintaining chromosomal stability during mitotic cell www.aging‐us.com division. Shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) has been associated with a wide range of aging-related disorders, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer [9,10,11,12,13]. Among American Indians participating in the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS), our group has reported associations of shorter LTL with diabetes [14], carotid atherosclerosis [15], obesity [16], and arterial aging [17]
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