I recently heard about a new blood test that may determine how long you will live. It will go on sale to the British public later this year. It measures the length of a person's telomeres, which are pieces of DNA at the end of chromosomes. As cells divide, the telomeres get shorter and shorter. By measuring telomeres, some scientists believe they can determine your biological age, which is not always equal to your chronological age.
Some of us may be younger than we appear, others older. The new test will tell you within a decade what your biological age is. The $700 test is only an indicator of biological age, and cannot definitively predict one's life span. There are so many other factors that determine your true biological age, like heredity, exercise, diet and stress.
Research on telomers (which I had never heard of until recently) is an expanding and important scientific area, as evidenced by the 2009 Nobel Prize awarded to three American geneticists who studied these small DNA segments.
As with everything in science, there is debate over the usefulness of the test. While proponents of the test say it can provide people with valuable information that can encourage them to adopt healthier lifestyles, others say it is little more than a waste of money.
I don't believe I would pay $700 for this test. I believe I'm already doing the best I can to live a healthy lifestyle, so what good is the test? It seems to me there are just too many other factors relevant to computing one's true biological age. I'm sure the test will be available in the US shortly, but at such a high cost, I doubt people will be taking it. And I doubt if insurance companies are going to contribute much, if anything, to those who want the test. For now I'll just do what I do and keep a youthful outlook on life. Isn't that what's it's really all about anyway?
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