Caps on chromosomes may reveal health risks
By Thea Singer,
WashPost
Published: May 23
As early as this fall, we may be able to get a simple blood test that can help us monitor not only our general health status but also how fast we’re aging — or at least how fast our cells are aging.
The test will measure the length of our telomeres, the caps on the ends of chromosomes that keep our DNA intact and our cells thriving.
News about the test’s imminent release has spurred a flurry of misleading reports suggesting that we’re on the cusp of being able to learn how long we’ll live — and whether we can ward off the irksome outward signs of aging. While scientists are divided over the value of the test for individuals, no serious researchers are saying a telomere test will be some kind of crystal ball.
At best, the new test represents another, more powerful tool among the tests already used to assess health — cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose measurements — not an entirely new approach. They aim to provide a one-stop snapshot of our statistical risk for everything from heart disease and diabetes to cognitive decline and mortality. If people can monitor their telomere length, the thinking goes, they can make lifestyle changes to alter that risk by boosting their cells’ longevity.
(More here.)
WashPost
Published: May 23
As early as this fall, we may be able to get a simple blood test that can help us monitor not only our general health status but also how fast we’re aging — or at least how fast our cells are aging.
The test will measure the length of our telomeres, the caps on the ends of chromosomes that keep our DNA intact and our cells thriving.
News about the test’s imminent release has spurred a flurry of misleading reports suggesting that we’re on the cusp of being able to learn how long we’ll live — and whether we can ward off the irksome outward signs of aging. While scientists are divided over the value of the test for individuals, no serious researchers are saying a telomere test will be some kind of crystal ball.
At best, the new test represents another, more powerful tool among the tests already used to assess health — cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose measurements — not an entirely new approach. They aim to provide a one-stop snapshot of our statistical risk for everything from heart disease and diabetes to cognitive decline and mortality. If people can monitor their telomere length, the thinking goes, they can make lifestyle changes to alter that risk by boosting their cells’ longevity.
(More here.)
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