Telomere length and risk of dying

A new study by researchers in Kaiser Permanente and University of California San Francisco suggest that the lengths of telomeres may be linked to a higher risk of dying. To confirm this idea, these researchers conducted a test that involved measuring the telomere length of 110,266 Northern California residents. According to Science News, 10% of the people who had the shortest telomere lengths had more than a 20% higher risk of dying than people who had longer telomere length. However, studies indicate that telomeres get shorter as a person gets older and that women posses longer telomeres than men. Also, African-Americans tend to have longer telomeres than other races. On the other hand, researchers have found that people who were heavier had longer telomeres, yet they are more prone to diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

There is still much doubt about whether the length of one's telomeres affect the their mortality. I believe that this may be an example in which correlation does not necessarily imply causation. Several factors still remain unknown, such as the health and medical background of those that were tested during this study. The lifestyles of these participants should also be factored into this observation. Further research should still be conducted as to what may cause telomeres to shorten, such as health complications.