Healthy lifestyle associated with longer telomeres in severe mental disorders, observational study of 410 patients
This observational study of 410 individuals with schizophrenia spectrum or affective disorders examined whether lifestyle factors were associated with telomere length, a marker of cellular ageing. Participants reporting healthy lifestyles had significantly longer telomeres than those reporting unhealthy lifestyles (Cohen's d = 0.58, p = 0.004), with an apparent dose-response relationship between increasing unhealthy behaviours and shorter telomeres (p = 0.02). The observed difference corresponded to approximately 6 years of biological age.
What this changes
The finding has not established an approved change to our evidence assessment.
Source date: Sep 2, 2026 · Discovered: Sep 14, 2026 · Assessed: — · Research update
What it does not prove
- Limitations have not yet been verified. Read the primary source.
Extracted from supplied source material; model confidence is not a measured probability of correctness.
Study details
- Design
- Observational
- Sample size
- 410
- Duration
- —
- Population
- Individuals with severe mental disorders: schizophrenia spectrum (n=225) and affective disorder (n=185), collected as part of the Norwegian Thematically Organised Psychosis (TOP) study
- Primary outcome
- Leukocyte telomere length (TL) measured via blood by quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR)
- Effect size
- Healthy vs unhealthy lifestyle: Cohen's d = 0.58, F = 8.62, p = 0.004. Number of unhealthy behaviours: F = 2.69, p = 0.02. Individuals with healthy lifestyles exhibited roughly 6-year lower biological age compared to those with unhealthy lifestyles.
- Significance
- Significant
- Journal
- Translational psychiatry
- Published
- Sep 2, 2026
Sources
Primary source
- Translational psychiatry ↗Peer reviewed
Assessment history
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