DNA Length can predict Life Expectancy

An article in Science Daily talked about a new study where researchers have the ability to predict life expectancy with patients with heart disease based on the length of the DNA strands found on the telomeres, which are at the end of the chromosomes.  The longer the telomeres the longer life for the patient.  In the past the telomere length has been used to determine age and now the new study tells us that the telomere length can be used predict the life expectancy of people with heart disease.  Telomeres protect the end of the chromosomes from becoming damaged, and as people age the telomere gets shorter, until the cell cannot divide no longer.  An article in the LA Times explains that, short telomeres are connected to old age diseases like heart disease, dementia or cancer, and tells us a person have has exposure to oxidative damage like smoking, stress, or air pollution.

The study tested the DNA from 3,500 stroke and heart attack patients.  Dr. John Carlquist the director of the Intermountain Heart Institute Genetics Lab, who conducted the study, said, “if we statistically adjust for age, patients with longer telomeres live longer, suggesting that telomere length is more than just a measure of age, but may also indicate the probability for survival. Longer telomere length directly correlate with the likelihood for a longer life – even for patients with heart disease.”

The study used two unique resources that presented unparalleled opportunity for researcher to study the effects of the telomere length and survival rates of heart patients.  An archive of blood DNA samples there were collected for about 30,000 heart patients, that included followed-up and survival data, allowed researchers to measure the rate of change in length of the telomere over a longer period of time, rather than a shorter trial.  The other opportunity was to work with international telomere experts.  Dr. Carlquist “believes telomere length could be used in the future as a way to measure the effectiveness of heart care treatment.” The telomere could give us a deeper knowledge into how treatments are affecting the body.