Abstract
Low intelligence has been associated with poor health and mortality, but underlying mechanisms remain obscure. We hypothesized that low intelligence is associated with accelerated biological ageing as reflected by telomere length; we suggested potential mediation of this association by unhealthy behaviors and low socioeconomic position. The study was performed in a longitudinal population-based cohort study of 895 participants (46.8% males). Intelligence was measured with the Generalized Aptitude-Test Battery at mean age 52.8 years (33–79 years, SD = 11.3). Leukocyte telomere length was measured by PCR. Lifestyle and socioeconomic factors were assessed using written self-report measures. Linear regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, and telomere length measured at the first assessment wave (T1), showed that low intelligence was associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length at approximately 2 years follow-up (beta = .081, t = 2.160, p = .031). Nearly 40% of this association was explained by an unhealthy lifestyle, while low socioeconomic position did not add any significant mediation. Low intelligence may be a risk factor for accelerated biological ageing, thereby providing an explanation for its association with poor health and mortality.
Highlights
Low intelligence or low cognitive ability has been associated with poor health, including aging-related diseases, and mortality [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Univariable associations Depicted in table 2 are the univariable associations between the potential predictors and telomere length at the 2003–2004 wave (T3)
Intelligence, exercise frequency, educational level, and work situation were significantly positively associated with telomere length at T3, while age and Body mass index (BMI) were significantly negatively associated with telomere length at T3
Summary
Low intelligence or low cognitive ability has been associated with poor health, including aging-related diseases, and mortality [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Low intelligence individuals engage themselves in more unhealthy behaviors [10,11]. As both stress [12,13] and unhealthy behaviors [14] are associated with morbidity and mortality, they are considered as possible mediators in the association between intelligence and health. Telomere length has been linked with a spectrum of ageing-related diseases and mortality [15,16,17]. Given the associations of these two factors with low intelligence, low intelligence might be associated with shorter telomere length
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