Why COVID affects older people more
How telomere length influences the severity of COVID-19 infections
Telomeres act as a biological clock, and therefore, there is a conditioning factor in the process of biological aging.
Short telomeres are associated with most diseases of aging.
In fact, they are considered a prognostic marker of aging, disease and premature morbidity as we describe in our blog.
A new study carried out in Spain published in January by Mario Blasco’s team this January https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33428591/ reveals that the % of short telomeres is directly related to the severity of Covid-19 infections.
We know that the incidence of severe manifestations of COVID-19 increases with age and older patients show the highest mortality.
One mechanism of aging is the progressive shortening of telomeres, which are protective structures at the ends of chromosomes.
The researchers hypothesized that the presence of short telomeres in older patients limits the tissue response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
They measured telomere length in patients with COVID-19 peripheral blood lymphocytes between 29 and 85 years of age.
They have found that shorter telomeres are associated with increased disease severity.
Unsurprisingly, they observed a significant inverse correlation between mean telomere length and the age of COVID-19 patients.
They also found a significant direct correlation between the percentage of short telomeres and the age of the patient.
The graph shows the presence of shorter telomeres in the most severe cases of Covid-19.
They also point out that telomerase can lengthen short telomeres.
There are activation strategies that have been shown to be effective in delaying aging and age-related pathologies.
Based on the results, they also speculate that such telomerase activation is an approach that could improve some of the remaining tissue pathologies in COVID-19 patients, such as fibrosis-like pathologies in the lungs after overcoming the viral infection.
As a side note, I would like to highlight other studies where it is seen that a food supplement, TA-65® also has significantly positive effects and results on telomerase activation and the immune system by increasing the telomere length of immune cells, as well as reducing the number of toxic non-functional and senescent immune cells.
A Natural Product Telomerase Activator Lengthens Telomeres in Humans: A Randomized, Double Blind, and Placebo Controlled Study.
Salvador L, et al.
Rejuvenation Res.
2016 Mar 30.
First Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Study Showing Telomere Elongation in Humans.
The results of telomere length changes (TL) patients treated with placebo compared to TA-65 food supplement with relatively healthy cytomegalovirus-positive subjects.®
Subjects taking TA-65® (250 units) significantly increased TL over a 12-month period, while subjects in the placebo group significantly lost TL.
Changes in TL were similar for both the different percentiles.
The findings suggest that TA-65® can lengthen telomeres statistically and clinically significant
Study participants: 97 men and women (53-87 years)
Study Length: 12 months
The first study to show statistically significant lengthening (p <0.005) of telomeres in humans: unsurprisingly, the placebo group showed a decrease in telomere length.
A natural product telomerase activator as part of a health maintenance program.
Harley CB, Liu W, Blasco M, Vera E, Andrews WH, Briggs LA, Raffaele JM.
Rejuvenation Res.
2011 Feb; 14(1):45-56
TA-65® Demonstrates Efficacy as Part of a Health Maintenance Program (“Exhibit A”)
CMV-positive immune function improved as follows:
- Decrease in the percentage of senescent cytotoxic T cells (CD8+/CD28-), at 6 months (4.4%, p = 0.018), 9 months (8.6%, p = 0.0024), and 12 months (7.5%, p = 0.0062).
- Decrease in Natural Killer (NK) cells at 6 months (p = 0.028) and 12 months (p = 0.00013)
- Decrease in % of short telomeres (p = 0.037); probably as a result of telomerase acting preferentially on short telomeres.
- The protocol was found to remodel immune cells in CMV+ subjects towards the more “youthful” profile of CMV-negative subjects.
The telomerase activator TA-65® elongates short telomeres and increases health span of adult/old mice without increasing cancer incidence. Bernardes de Jesus B, Schneeberger K, Vera E, Tejera A, Harley CB, Blasco MA. Aging Cell.
2011 Aug; 10(4):604-21.
Evidence that TA-65® lengthens short telomeres and increases the health capacity of adult/old mice without increasing cancer incidence
- TA-65® decreased the percentage of critically short telomeres and rescued DNA damage in haplo-insufficient embryonic mouse fibroblasts (50% telomerase activity), but not in telomerase-inactivated mice, indicating that TA-65® acts through telomerase activation.
- TA-65 also increases TERT expression in some mouse tissues when added to a standard diet.
- TA-65 dietary supplementation in female mice leads to improved health duration indicators, including glucose tolerance, osteoporosis, and skin fitness without increasing the overall incidence of cancer.®
