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Associations between air pollution and relative leukocyte telomere length among northern Swedish adults based on findings from the Betula study

Raza, Wasif ; Pudas, Sara ; Kanninen, Katja M. ; Flanagan, Erin LU orcid ; Degerman, Sofie ; Adolfsson, Rolf ; Giugno, Rosalba ; Topinka, Jan ; Zeng, Xiao Wen and Oudin, Anna LU orcid (2025) In Scientific Reports 15(1).
Abstract

Air pollution is increasingly discussed as a risk factor for dementia, but the biological mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Biological markers like telomere length are relevant to study with air pollution, as they are associated with aging and dementia. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between source-specific air pollution exposure and telomere length in a low-level air pollution area, and whether this potential relationship depended on future dementia status. The data originated from the Betula study in Northern Sweden, where 509 participants recruited between 1988 and 1995 were included to investigate the association between annual mean air pollution concentrations at the participants’ residences and relative... (More)

Air pollution is increasingly discussed as a risk factor for dementia, but the biological mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Biological markers like telomere length are relevant to study with air pollution, as they are associated with aging and dementia. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between source-specific air pollution exposure and telomere length in a low-level air pollution area, and whether this potential relationship depended on future dementia status. The data originated from the Betula study in Northern Sweden, where 509 participants recruited between 1988 and 1995 were included to investigate the association between annual mean air pollution concentrations at the participants’ residences and relative leukocyte telomere length using a linear regression model. No association was observed between air pollution and telomere length, with regression slope estimates close to zero and p-values > 0.10 (e.g. PM2.5_total: β = 0.01 (-0.011, 0.025) and BC_total: β = 0.03 (95% CI: -0.046, 0.114). There were indications of a positive association between longer telomere length and higher exposure to air pollution among individuals later diagnosed with dementia (N = 74), but these findings were not conclusive (p-values > 0.10) (PM2.5_total: β = 0.03, p-value = 0.12; BC_total: β = 0.11, p-value = 0.17). Although not statistically significant, our findings contribute to the evidence from low-exposure settings, and it is important to report these types of findings for a balanced understanding of potential health effects.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Air pollution, Dementia, Particulate matter with a 2.5 micrometer or less in diameter, Relative leukocyte telomere length
in
Scientific Reports
volume
15
issue
1
article number
32660
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:105016807298
  • pmid:40987793
ISSN
2045-2322
DOI
10.1038/s41598-025-19469-7
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4d559e96-1b88-4b44-a0ef-e1eac98f6daf
date added to LUP
2025-11-24 12:49:11
date last changed
2025-11-25 03:00:07
@article{4d559e96-1b88-4b44-a0ef-e1eac98f6daf,
  abstract     = {{<p>Air pollution is increasingly discussed as a risk factor for dementia, but the biological mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Biological markers like telomere length are relevant to study with air pollution, as they are associated with aging and dementia. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between source-specific air pollution exposure and telomere length in a low-level air pollution area, and whether this potential relationship depended on future dementia status. The data originated from the Betula study in Northern Sweden, where 509 participants recruited between 1988 and 1995 were included to investigate the association between annual mean air pollution concentrations at the participants’ residences and relative leukocyte telomere length using a linear regression model. No association was observed between air pollution and telomere length, with regression slope estimates close to zero and p-values &gt; 0.10 (e.g. PM<sub>2.5</sub>_total: β = 0.01 (-0.011, 0.025) and BC_total: β = 0.03 (95% CI: -0.046, 0.114). There were indications of a positive association between longer telomere length and higher exposure to air pollution among individuals later diagnosed with dementia (N = 74), but these findings were not conclusive (p-values &gt; 0.10) (PM2.5_total: β = 0.03, p-value = 0.12; BC_total: β = 0.11, p-value = 0.17). Although not statistically significant, our findings contribute to the evidence from low-exposure settings, and it is important to report these types of findings for a balanced understanding of potential health effects.</p>}},
  author       = {{Raza, Wasif and Pudas, Sara and Kanninen, Katja M. and Flanagan, Erin and Degerman, Sofie and Adolfsson, Rolf and Giugno, Rosalba and Topinka, Jan and Zeng, Xiao Wen and Oudin, Anna}},
  issn         = {{2045-2322}},
  keywords     = {{Air pollution; Dementia; Particulate matter with a 2.5 micrometer or less in diameter; Relative leukocyte telomere length}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Scientific Reports}},
  title        = {{Associations between air pollution and relative leukocyte telomere length among northern Swedish adults based on findings from the Betula study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-19469-7}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41598-025-19469-7}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}