Telomere shortening, a well-known biomarker of aging, is a complex process influenced by several intrinsic and lifestyle factors. Although habitual exercise may promote telomere length maintenance, extreme endurance exercise has been also associated with increased oxidative stress - presumed to be the major cause of telomere shortening. Therefore, the pace of telomere shortening with age may also depend on antioxidant system efficiency, which is in part genetically determined. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the impact of ultra-endurance exercise and oxidative stress susceptibility (determined by the rs4880 polymorphism in the superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) gene) on telomere length. Genomic DNA was obtained from 53 sedentary individuals (34 females, 19-67 years) and 96 ultra-trail runners (31 females, 23-58 years). Indeed, blood samples before and after finishing a 107km-trail race were collected from 32 runners to measure c-reactive protein (CRP) levels and thus analyse if acute inflammation response is modulated by the SOD2 rs4880 polymorphism. Our results revealed that telomere length was better preserved in ultra-trail runners compared to controls, especially in elderly runners who have been regularly training for many years. Carrying the SOD2 rs4880*A allele was significantly associated with having shorter telomeres, as well as with having increased CRP levels after the ultra-trail race. In conclusion, habitual ultra-endurance exercise had a beneficial effect on telomere length maintenance, especially at older ages. This study also suggested that the SOD2 rs4880 polymorphism may also impact on acute and chronic oxidative-related damage (inflammatory response and telomere length) after an ultra-trail race

中文翻译：

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长期超耐力运动和SOD2基因型对端粒随年龄缩短的影响。

端粒缩短是衰老的著名生物标志，是一个复杂的过程，受多种内在和生活方式因素的影响。尽管习惯性锻炼可以促进端粒长度的维持，但是极端的耐力锻炼也与氧化应激的增加有关-推测这是端粒缩短的主要原因。因此，端粒随着年龄而缩短的步伐也可能取决于抗氧化剂系统的效率，这部分是由遗传决定的。在这项研究中，我们旨在评估超耐力运动和氧化应激敏感性（由超氧化物歧化酶2（SOD2）基因中的rs4880多态性决定）对端粒长度的影响。从53个久坐的个体（34位女性，19-67岁）和96位超跑运动员（31位女性，23-58岁）中获得了基因组DNA。确实，从32名跑步者处收集了107公里越野赛前后的血样，以测量c反应蛋白（CRP）的水平，从而分析急性炎症反应是否受SOD2 rs4880多态性的调节。我们的研究结果表明，与对照组相比，超跑运动员的端粒长度保留得更好，特别是在已经定期训练多年的老年人中。携带SOD2 rs4880 * A等位基因与端粒较短，超轨比赛后CRP水平升高显着相关。总之，习惯性超耐力运动对端粒长度的维持有有益的作用，尤其是在老年人中。