Alfred, Tamuno, Ben-Shlomo, Yoav, Cooper, Rachel, Hardy, Rebecca, Cooper, C., Deary, Ian J., Gaunt, Tom R., Gunnell, David, Harris, Sarah E., Kumari, Meena, Martin, Richard M., Sayer, Avan Aihie, Starr, John M., Kuh, Diana and Day, Ian N. M. (2012) A multi-cohort study of polymorphisms in the GH/IGF axis and physical capability: the HALCyon programme. PLoS ONE, 7 (1), e29883. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029883). (PMID:22253814)
Abstract
Background: Low muscle mass and function have been associated with poorer indicators of physical capability in older
people, which are in-turn associated with increased mortality rates. The growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor (GH/IGF)
axis is involved in muscle function and genetic variants in genes in the axis may influence measures of physical capability.
Methods: As part of the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) programme, men and women from seven UK
cohorts aged between 52 and 90 years old were genotyped for six polymorphisms: rs35767 (IGF1), rs7127900 (IGF2),
rs2854744 (IGFBP3), rs2943641 (IRS1), rs2665802 (GH1) and the exon-3 deletion of GHR. The polymorphisms have previously
been robustly associated with age-related traits or are potentially functional. Meta-analysis was used to pool within-study
genotypic effects of the associations between the polymorphisms and four measures of physical capability: grip strength,
timed walk or get up and go, chair rises and standing balance.
Results: Few important associations were observed among the several tests. We found evidence that rs2665802 in GH1 was
associated with inability to balance for 5 s (pooled odds ratio per minor allele = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.82–0.98, p-value = 0.01,
n = 10,748), after adjusting for age and sex. We found no evidence for other associations between the polymorphisms and
physical capability traits.
Conclusion: Our findings do not provide evidence for a substantial influence of these common polymorphisms in the GH/
IGF axis on objectively measured physical capability levels in older adults.
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