Do the telomeres know.

There's really not much I can add to this piece from The Independent:

The £400 test that tells you how long you'll live

See:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-163400-test-that-tells-you-how-long-youll-live-2284639.html

Some excerpts:

>>DNA breakthrough heralds new medical era – and opens ethical Pandora's box

[...]

A blood test that can show how fast someone is ageing – and offers the tantalising possibility of estimating how long they have left to live – is to go on sale to the general public in Britain later this year.

[...]

The controversial test measures vital structures on the tips of a person's chromosomes, called telomeres, which scientists believe are one of the most important and accurate indicators of the speed at which a person is ageing.

[...]

The results of the tests might also be of interest to companies offering life-insurance policies or medical cover ...there is a growing body of scientific opinion that says testing the length of a person's telomeres could provide vital insights into the risk of dying prematurely from a range of age-related disorders, from cardiovascular disease to Alzheimer's and cancer.

[...]

"This test devised by Blasco is so accurate that it is likely to provide more useful information than some of the other tests out there right now," said Professor Shay, who is a scientific consultant for Life Length. "What's important in ageing is the shortest telomeres. What makes cells stop growing is the shortest telomeres, not the average telomere length, which is what other tests look at.

"Everyone talks about the chronological age, but there is also a biological age, and telomere length is actually a pretty good representation of your biological age. Telomeres are important – there is no question of that," he said.

[..]

"If you smoke or you're obese your insurance rates are higher, and if you have short telomeres your insurance rates might be higher too."

[...]

So, would you take the test?

It is a question that has been on my mind of late.
But if my DNA said tomorrow I would be unconcerned.
It shows much about us but even it can Be wrong.
I am unwell, but looking at my family history, it too surely was shown in their DNA it is not clear.
Grand parents on both sides died in the 73,rd year of their life.
Not bad for people born pre 1900.
Dad went at 54, much too soon, heart.
Mum 17 years younger than dad went in her 68th year.
I am not yet, quite, 66.
So no would not pay for a test, and not fear one.
But think individual lifestyle and diet can prove even them wrong.

Hi Belly

I'm sure that some people are born with long telomeres and others with shorter ones.

However my understanding is this:

--Telomeres shorten throughout your life;

--Lifestyle factors MAY influence the RATE at which telomeres shorten.

That's why I doubt this test is useful for anyone much under the age of 60 - assuming it is useful at all.

See that fount of all knowledge, wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere

BTW in scientific matters I've found wikipedia to be quite reliable. Wouldn't trust it on anything controversial without cross-checking.

If the test works then it can be quite useful - if I knew that I'm not going to live that long, then I could afford to retire straight away instead of having to worry about having sufficient savings to live on indefinitely.

Dear Steven,

Nah, there's some things I'd rather not know - it might spoil (for me at least) the solid foundation of my life at present. I might even go crazy and do something foolish like give in to my emotions for a change - do what I want to do - and become totally selfish. :-)

Steven,I want to know how long it will be before we all learn to live.Death is inevitable,but living is far more precious.Enjoy the moment.

I believe that this sort of info could be used for some good.
People with a terrible family medical history of, for example, early onset dementia, cancers that run in families, or heart or kidney disease, could find out before they are at the age of onset.

They could then do something to help prevent it happening, for example, removing breasts, uterus, prostate gland etc before they are diseased.
It may well save lives.

I don't believe it should be available for anyone who asks for the tests though, because it may cause mass panic!

I've heard the interpretation of the automatic propensity toward disease based on DNA alone is basically incorrect.

For example, take the so-called breast cancer gene. There may be a measureable amount of breast cancer victims that have that gene (but it's actually not overwhelmingly significant) but there may also be a vast number of people who carry the same gene that will never develop breast cancer.

Therefore not everyone who has the gene will be guaranteed to develop the disease. There has be be an external factor (probably environmental) that "switches the gene on" and this may never be determined.

Much of this research seems to be a way of justifying Insurance companies to apply premiums for coverage. Will they provide a discount for those who carry none of the identifiable genes? I think not.

I think it's far too early to be drawing such firm conclusions about this research.

This reminds me of a friend who at 20 years of age had a fortune teller tell him that he had only 5 years to live.

Now at 67 years of age, he never married or owned real estate but "by God" he had a great life travelling and spending every cent from a series of casual jobs.

He is now on the Pension and quite philisophical about his life.

Ralph Bennett

there are allready them
offering telemere extentions

the telemeres are important..in chromosone splitting
one needs to die for each chromosonal division
simularilly..the number of divisions
is dependant directly upon the number of telemeres

i have heard of telemeres that dont die..[as such]
or automaticly restore themselves

[but mainly in those animals that can regrow limbs]

its no use reading the spiel
no doudt its written by the mob
who want to sell their 'extentions'

but its not the number of divisions
but the quality retained in the dna that divides

better by far you find out if your a sheeple

http://www.activistpost.com/2011/05/are-you-sheeple-take-sheeple-quiz.html

cause regardless of the length of ya tele-meres
one bullit in ya brain ya dead

http://www.presstv.com/detail/180166.html
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/05/16/unconfirmed-american-deaths-helicopter-crash-bin-laden-capture-aborted/
http://whatreallyhappened.com/

http://www.activistpost.com/2011/05/10-indications-united-states-is.html

I tend to agree with you BELLY - I'm not sure that all these new DNA analysis and other scientific screenings, claiming to be an accurate measurement of one's precise longevity are in anyway reliable.

The only thing that I can add to this commentary; at nearly seventy years of age, my medico has mentioned (habitually), that I'd make a most amusing and intriguing autopsy ?

Of that, I cannot comment. The fact that I'll be in attendance, is irrefutable.

God it would be such fun to wake up that last mornin' wouldn't it?

Why on earth would anyone benefit from that (unless as the saying goes you happen to be a bus/train driver at the time)...

Don't think I'd take the £400 test. It won't tell if you're going to be run over by a bus tomorrow.

BTW do the results come with a lifetime guarantee?

Do you want to know how long you've got left before you die?

Hell no!

Simple question, with a simple answer…. NO, I don’t want to know!!

I can’t imagine who would want to know!

I mean, if you find out that you’ve got precious little time, what’s that going to do for your quality of life? Nothing good at all.

And if you find out that you’ll live to 90 or 100, well, is that really going to do you much good? That’s only another few years anyway, for most of us old farts!

Then of course you can’t have any real faith in what you might be told, no matter how much of a rigorous scientific basis it might be purported to have.

And yeah, it won’t tell if you are going to be run over by a bus tomorrow….or suffer some other life-reducing injury, or get cancer, or have a stroke or get alzheimers or a thousand other possibilities.

Sheesh, it is much better to just not think about this sort of thing at all!

"I can’t imagine who would want to know!

I mean, if you find out that you’ve got precious little time, what’s that going to do for your quality of life? Nothing good at all."

Quite a bit, actually - I could quit my job, retire and make the best of the time I've got without worrying about saving enough money to live on indefinitely.

mr dorkins is much on the same theme
[do things really come in threes?]

anyhow he asures us there is no life after death
that there uis no father in heaven....nor demons in hell
because he thinks there are no such things..[heard on bbc last night]

anyhow its clear we now got the so called 'anti christ/message'
so he has now disproven..other dimentions?

but so much of the science spin depends on 'other dimentions

eg two supposedly came together
to form this dimention
[the brane theory]

lol
talk about eating your cake and eating theirs too

anyhow i would make it a topic
but how can one argue...
with one who blames god

for his DISS/ability

in rejecting good of god
he has heard the wispers of demons
but dont recognise the inner workings...of vuile
he has signed his name to..

if you going to die
its nice conmfort KNOWING there is a heaven

of course those earning their place in hell
will deney it till their last dying breath

and even if im wrong
i will die and never know i was wrong

but whebn im proven right
he will know he is/was..wrong for eternity

its just a shame he dont know god
who alone..is love[grace mercy works]..

sustaing even the least their lives..
not who's voice will not be heard..on the streets
[that is was our own chosing...dorkins chosing his body reveales he WAS a strong spirit....each of us is needed to reveal the full truth of what god actually does

ie sustain us each/all
our very lives

aint that enough?

make a living life..![dorkins]

you cant..so you claim
to prove there aint no heaven
but ya'r wrong...

we die then move on
[en3rgy cant be created nor destroyed]

learn to live with science fact
not speculate on what you currently cant disprove
either in part or in whole...thus is opnion..not science

We are all going to die on December 21, 2012 aren't we?

no..we are not going to die..25/12/12
many of us will be dead long before that

there are people dying each minute
from dirty water/dirty drugs/dirty food
..dirty air soil...oceans and seas

its said two thirds must die if we dont wake-up
[the 25 th is about an awakening of our super conscience]
aas well as..the test of a pole shift..extreem weather conditioons and other 'natural disasters'

its hoped that govt stop spending on war
and look at the riches of peace

[the people..are a govts real assets
our skills...our intelect..our inventivness..
our ability to get the job done...on time..everytime

of course those killing..love killing
for murder sake...

[they just might be
taken up in a..{'rapture"]

regardless war is over if we want to find
other things..to spend too much effort/time credit..on

We are all going to die on December 21, 2012 aren't we?
Posted by sbr108, Wednesday, 18 May 2011 10:41:29 AM

For those people interested in Harold Camping's predictions from the Bible:

http://www.ebiblefellowship.com/outreach/tracts/may21/

'Judgement Day' Saturday 21 May 2011 followed by 5 months of destruction and terror for non-believers/deniers; the world to end on 21 October 2011, according to Bible verses with clues proclaimed by Jesus Christ our Saviour interpreted by Harold Camping.