Key points from article :
Researchers examined the relationship between walking pace and telomere length of leukocytes (a type of white blood cell).
Study used data from approximately 400,000 people in the UK Biobank.
Association between self-reported walking pace and the telomere length of specific white blood cells known as leukocytes.
The participants were an average of 56.5 years old, with a mean BMI of 27.2. 54% of the participants were female, and 95% were white.
Statistical differences were seen between the slow, average, and brisk walkers.
The average and brisk walkers had significantly longer telomere lengths than the slow walkers.
Genomic analysis showed walking pace causally associated with telomere length.
Though Mendelian randomization can help determine causality, such results should be interpreted with caution.
Lifestyle factors affect telomere length, the study concludes.
Research by University of Leicester, led by Tom Yate and Nilesh J. Samani, published in Nature Communications.
