Recent work by US scientists suggests that it may soon be possible to predict longevity with a simple blood test. Dr Richard Cawthon and colleagues at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City measured the length of telomeres in blood samples taken from 143 people 20-years ago. Results showed that people with telomeres in the top half for length lived for four to five years longer than those with telomeres in the shortest half lengthwise. Furthermore, those with the shortest telomeres were three times more likely to develop heart disease, and more than eight times more likely to contract an infectious disease, particularly pneumonia. Rates of death from stroke and cancer were also higher in those with the shortest telomeres, although they were not higher enough to be clinically significant. The study is the first to show that telomere length is predictive of survival. Cawthon concludes: ” It [the findings] supports the hypothesis that telomere shortening is a fundamental process of ageing, contributing to mortality from multiple age-related diseases.”
SOURCE/REFERENCE: The Lancet Online 1st February 2003
