The length of your telomeres is one factor that impacts aging and longevity. Telomere shortening has been associated with aging and higher rates of chronic disease, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer. Researchers believe it is a critical factor in the aging process but is are shorter telomeres hereditary or caused by environmental factors?
Telomeres protect our DNA and every cell from damage. Healthy telomeres are long and allow the cells to replicate correctly, but every time a cell divides, the telomere becomes a little shorter. Like the plastic ends of your shoelace, when the telomere becomes too short and worn, like your shoelace, your chromosome begins to fray and unravel. When this happens the cell becomes inactive, divides incorrectly and/or eventually dies.
Researchers have shown that longer telomeres are associated with a longer life, but at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, in Australia researchers wanted to understand if telomere length is impacted by hereditary or environmental factors. Results of the study were published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in July, 2019.
The study was a Population-based cross-sectional study with more than 1800 families participating in 30 cities and towns across Australia. Researchers extracted DNA and evaluated telomere length from the blood samples of 1206 children between the ages of 11 and 12, and 1343 parents, of whom 1143 were parent-child pairs.
Results showed there was a modest relationship between the telomere length of the parents and their children with the strongest concordance being between the father and the child. The researchers concluded that children’s telomere length appeared to be partly the results of genetics. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/9/Suppl_3/118.full.pdf
The length and longevity of our telomeres appears to be only partly determined by genetics.
At the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic can help you test the length of your telomeres and based on those results, help you develop a health and wellness plan to protect, repair, and lengthen your telomeres, helping you live a longer, healthier life.
The Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic in collaboration with SpectraCell Laboratories, offers a test that can determine the length of your telomeres in relation to your age.
“The Patient Telomere Score is calculated based on the patient’s average telomere length in peripheral whole blood cells. This average is then compared to telomere lengths from a population sample in the same age range as the patient to determine the patient’s percentile score.” https://www.spectracell.com/clinicians/products/telomere-testing/
Telomere testing should be done once a year along with your comprehensive blood panel. A yearly test will evaluate any changes in the length of your telomeres and help you and your physician determine if changes need to be made to your health plan.
The Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic in Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico, is Central America’s most experienced Age Management clinic, combining proven methods of preventative medicine with the most advanced technology to help you slow down the aging process and fight age-related disease. Let us help you live your best life. Contact us today to learn more about telomere testing and preventative medicine.
