The
Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting
A high prevalence of elevated serum thyroid-stimulating
hormone in an Ashkenazi Jewish population and their offspring appeared to be
genetically predisposed and may contribute to healthy aging.
“Our new data show that the increase in serum TSH
with aging may have a genetic basis,” Martin Surks, MD, professor
of medicine and pathology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York,
said during a press conference.
Surks and colleagues examined data from 236 Ashkenazi
Jewish participants (median age, 97) and 434 of their offspring (median age,
69) and compared them with 188 spouses of the offspring (median age, 70). No
participant had known thyroid disease.
When compared with offspring (1.68 mIU/L) and controls
(1.55 mIU/L), median serum TSH was significantly higher among probands (1.97
mIU/L). In addition, median serum TSH was higher in offspring when compared
with controls (P<.048).
The researchers identified two single-nucleotide
polymorphisms in the serum TSH receptor with significant allele differences
between probands and controls (rs10149689 G: 0.57 vs. 0.48; P<.001
and rs12050077 A: 0.57 vs. 0.46; P<.0001). Similar differences were
also identified in offspring and controls.
“These new findings show a likely genetic basis for
the increase in serum TSH in the Ashkenazi Jewish centenarian population and
their children,” Surks said. “It also shows that the increase in
serum TSH may be protective and possibly, along with many other genetic
changes, contribute to healthy aging.”
“If our findings are extended to other human
populations, the current designation of subclinical hypothyroidism in older
people as an illness that needs treatment should be changed. If the rate of
serum TSH is good for healthy aging and longevity, then treatment with hormones
would not be necessary,” he added. – by Jennifer Southall
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