1. No category

Preliminary results suggest that healthy life style
intervention is associated with slower telomere attrition
compared with controls.
Strandberg AY, Tilvis RS, Pitk.l. KH, Miettinen TA,
Fyhrquist F. Physical activity and telomere length
measured in old age. Exp Gerontol 2012; Epub Feb 22
DVM Anders Eriksson has published a study in Cavalier
King Charles spaniels with mitral regurgitation showing
the predictive value of NT.proANP measurements in the
evaluation of congestive heart failure.
Strandberg T, Strandberg AY, Saijonmaa O, Tilvis RS,
Pitk.l. KH, Fyhrquist F. Association between alcohol
consumption in healthy midlife Long-term alcohol
consumption and telomere length in older men. Eur J
Epidemiol 2012; 27(10):815-22
Selected publications
TELOMERE RESEARCH
Group Members
Frej Fyhrquist, M.D., Dr.Med.Sci., Dhc, Professor
emeritus
Outi Saijonmaa, Ph.D., Docent
Anders Eriksson-Palojärvi, DVM
Anna Nyman, M.Sc.
The team has studied leucocyte telomere length (LTL) in
more than 5000 subjects to-date and examined LTL in
comparison with various behaviors and medical and
genetic profiles. For example, in the Helsinki
Businessman Study, LTL was inversely related to
smoking and body mass index during a long follow-up
period, from 1964–1973 to 2002–2003, during which
DNA for telomere measurement was isolated from blood
leucocytes of 622 participants. Moreover, we discovered
associations of LTL with 1) alcohol consumption, 2)
physical activity, and 3) insertion deletion (I/D)
polymorphism of the angiotensin-I converting enzyme
(ACE) gene.
A new study, focusing on telomeres and cardiovascular
health in the young, was started in 2012 in collaboration
with Professor A. Jula (Institute of Health and Welfare,
Turku) as a sub-study of the STRIP project
(Sepelvaltimotaudin Riskitekijöiden Interventio Projekti)
comprising >500 subjects, each in the intervention and
control groups, with follow-up covering early childhood
to maturity. This study has been ongoing during 2013–
2014, and results will be analyzed during early 2015.
Eriksson AS, Häggström J, Pedersen HD, Hansson K,
Järvinen AK, Haukka J, Kvart C. Increased NT-proANP
predicts risk of congestive heart failure in Cavalier King
Charles spaniels with mitral regurgitation caused by
myxomatous valve disease. J Vet Cardiol. 2014; 16:141–
154.
Fyhrquist F, Saijonmaa O, Strandberg T. The roles of
senescence and telomere shortening in cardiovascular
disease. Nat Rev Cardiol 2013; 10(5):274-83
Strandberg TE, Saijonmaa O, Fyhrquist F. RE:
“Association of leukocyte telomere length with breast
cancer risk: nested case-control findings from the
Shanghai women’s health study”. Am J Epidemiol. 2013;
178(4):662–3
Fyhrquist F. Kohonneen verenpaineen tiukka hoito
diabeteksessa – vähempikin riittää. (Tight blood pressure
control of hypertension in diabetes – less is enough).
Suomen Lääkärilehti 2012; 67:672-673
Fyhrquist F, Eriksson A, Saijonmaa O, Nordestgaard BG,
Kontula K, de Faire U, Ibsen H, Kjeldsen S, Os I, Bj.rn
Dahl.f. Leukocyte telomere length is associated with ACE
insertion/deletion polymorphism in hypertensive patients
with left ventricular hypertrophy. J Renin Angiotensin
Aldosterone Syst 2012; Epub Oct 17
Fyhrquist F, Saijonmaa O. Telomere length and
cardiovascular aging. Ann Med 2012; 44:S138-42
Immonen I, Seitsonen S, Saijonmaa O, Fyhrquist F.
Leucocyte telomere length in age-related macular
degeneration. Acta Ophtalmol 2012; Epub May 2
Savela S, Saijonmaa O, Strandberg TE, Koistinen P,
Fyhrquist F, Silventoinen K, Saijonmaa O, Kontula K, de
Faire U, Os I, Dahlöf B. Telomere length and
cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients with left
ventricular hypertrophy, the LIFE study. J Hum
Hypertens. 2011; 25(12):711–8
Strandberg TE, Saijonmaa O, Tilvis RS, Pitkälä KH,
Strandberg AY, Salomaa V, Miettinen TA, Fyhrquist F.
Telomere length in old age and cholesterol across the life
course. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011; 59(10):1979–81
Strandberg TE, Saijonmaa O, Tilvis RS, Pitkälä KH,
Strandberg AY, Miettinen TA, Fyhrquist F. Assosiation of
telomere length in older men with mortality and midlife
body mass index and smoking. J Gerontol A Biol Sci
Med Sci. 2011; 66(7):815–20
Contact info:
Frej Fyhrquist, M.D., Dr.Med.Sci., Dhc, Professor
emeritus
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +358 2941 25710