Your “ age” has more to do with the shape you’re in rather than with the number of years you’ve lived. If you exercise regularly, eat right, sleep well, and keep yourself in excellent health, then your chromosomal age may well be younger than your years. If, on the other hand, you don’t take good care of yourself or have a genetic predisposition for disease, the age of your cells could be prematurely aging you.
Measuring your telomeres tells us your biological — versus your chronological — age. And once we know the age of your cells, we can take steps to give you a longer, stronger, healthier life. Telomeres are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect your chromosomes like the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces.
Telomeres shorten as cells divide and as you age; studies have shown that people with shorter telomeres in their cells are more likely to develop illnesses like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, or even to die earlier. Telomeres are like bus tickets — every time a cell divides, you use up a ticket; when you’re out of tickets, you’re out of time.
