Facts about Telomeres and Aging
- 06
Telomere length is partly heritable, meaning genetic factors inherited from parents influence how quickly an individual's telomeres shorten over a lifetime.
- 05
Lifestyle factors such as chronic stress, smoking, and poor diet have been linked to accelerated telomere shortening in human cells.
- 04
Repeated cell division without telomerase activity leads to replicative senescence, a state first described by Leonard Hayflick in the 1960s.
- 03
Shorter telomere length in white blood cells is associated with increased risk of age-related diseases including cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
- 02
The enzyme telomerase can rebuild shortened telomeres, and its reactivation is one reason cancer cells can divide indefinitely.
- 01
Each time a cell divides, telomeres shorten slightly, and when they become critically short the cell enters senescence or apoptosis.