What do telomeres and shoelaces have in common?
Telomeres are the end caps on our chromosomes and like the plastic caps at the end of our shoelaces, they serve a protective function. In the case of shoelaces, those caps prevent or delay the fraying of the laces. Similarly, telomeres keep the DNA-filled chromosomes from unravelling - keeping our chromosomes from becoming damaged or accidentally linking to each other.
When healthy cells divide to renew tissue, the DNA-filled chromosomes within the cells divide too. And each time a cell divides the telomeres lose a bit of length. Over time this can be significant and research indicates that shortened telemores may lead to damaged chromosomes and may even spark tumour growth.
Telomere length has been in the news lately as an emerging marker for the process of aging. Research shows that cells stop replicating when telomeres become too short and when a cell stops replicating it enters what is known as cell senescence, or cellular aging.
Not surprisingly, blood tests have been developed to tell people their biological age and possibly offer a clue to longevity. But experts warn that these tests do not provide any useful information. In other words, while these tests may provide a snapshot of the health of the cells it's not a crystal ball and won't predict how long you will live.
What we do know from studies is that extending telomeres can lengthen lives in mice. As for us, the best way to enhance our telomeres' health is a healthy diet, exercise and stress management – which is good news since that's what we should be all doing anyway.
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