coincide with the popularity ofDNA testingkits , companies that claim to be capable to tell apart your “ cellular age ” from a drop of blood have also draw quite a few customers .
However , their resolution ca n’t always be trusted , accord toScience News . Oncologist and Johns Hopkins research worker Mary Armanios tell apart the website that the tests can do more harm than undecomposed by sending dead healthy customer into a affright .
“ The telomere belongs in the clinic and should not be used as a form of molecular palm tree reading , ” Armanios tellsScience News . For example , Armanios shared the story of one adult male in his forties who learned he supposedly had the telomeres of an 80 - year - old . In hopes of making the most of his remaining clock time , he lay off his task , sold his house , and put off surgical operation that he believe would further foreshorten his telomeres .
For a monetary value of roughly $ 100 , some companies claim to not only be able to enjoin you your cellular age , but also severalise you how to ameliorate your wellness so that you’re able to hold up longer . They measure the duration of telomeres , the cap at the ending of your chromosomes , in purchase order to determine your biologic age . Telomeresshortenwith age , but other factors — like diet — can also chip away at them , potentially do disease and other wellness - related problems . ( On the other hired man , telomere can get long in out outer space , as cosmonaut Scott Kellylearned . )
However , asScience Newsnotes , this is n’t always the most exact indicant of health or life span because what ’s think “ normal ” encompasses a wider range than what those companies would have you believe . Extra - long telomere may be associated with a higher cancer hazard , and on the flip side , shorter telomeres do n’t necessarily imply you ’ll keel over tomorrow .
Indeed , the tests used by these company have a 20 per centum variance charge per unit , mean they can produce different results on different days , and not all scientists agree that telomere length can be used as a “ biomarker ” of historic period . The National Institute of Aging reach out the finish that biomarkers for aging could not be scientifically validated , according toWIRED .
Research on telomere length can do a wad of good , though , when done correctly in a laboratory . These tests can be used to name rare disorders and serve patient get the concern they demand .
[ h / tScience News ]
