We and other groups are seeing clear statistical links between telomere shortness and risk for a variety of diseases that are becoming very common, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain cancers.
Checking your telomere length is a bit like weighing yourself: you get this single number which depends on a lot of factors. Telomere length gives a sense of your underlying health.
I was using very unconventional methods to sequence the telemetric DNA, originally.
Being senior enough in the field, having enough solidity, I don't feel afraid of being marginalized.
If a test showed you had telomere shortening, it would be a red flag suggesting you should take a look at possible risk factors.
In 2004, results from a study that I worked on with colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco, linked chronic stress to shortening of telomeres.
