DNA Mutation Linked To Long Life – A DNA mutation among Ashkenazi Jews produces extra telomerase, which is linked to long life because it strengthens telomeres holding DNA sequences.
Scientists have spotted a link among people who live to age 100: high levels of telomerase, an enzyme that protects DNA and could possibly be simulated in life-lengthening drugs.
The enzyme repairs telomeres, end sections of DNA that have been likened to plastic tips that prevent shoelaces from unraveling.
In a study, centenarians (people over 100 years old) and their children had higher levels of telomerase and longer telomeres than the general population, the BBC reports.
Because all the participants in the study were Ashkenazi Jews, a closely related population, some experts question whether the study results apply more broadly.
One scientist warned that artificially boosting telomerase could backfire by increasing the chances of cancer-causing mutations.
Besides their genetic particularities, the centenarians in the study had lower body mass indexes and higher levels of good cholesterol than the control population.
And that’s the latest from Action News on the DNA mutation linked to long life.
Tags: aging, dna, DNA Mutation Linked To Long Life, genes, telomerase, telomeres