Now, know your cellular age and manage it too: measuring telomere length by Teloyears

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How well we are aging? That question is often pondered upon but, till now there was no readily available tests to measure our cellular age and compare it with the chronological age. Telomere Diagnostics(TDx), a molecular testing company based in Silicon Valley, California has launched Teloyears. It is home based, easy to use test that requires just a drop of blood sent to the lab, where the telomers in White Blood Cells (WBC) are analyzed and the results are mailed back in 6 weeks. The results show that how well or bad you are aging as compared to others of your age and gender, along with insights into improving it. 

One of the TDx founder, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, was recipient of 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine and a trailblazer in molecular biology. It’s been more than two decades that numerous research papers have well established the importance of measuring Average Telomere Length (ATL) as a predictor of overall health.

The New York Times bestselling book is coauthored by the Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn who discovered telomerase and telomeres' role in the aging process and the health psychologist who has done original research into how specific lifestyle and psychological habits can protect telomeres, slowing disease and improving life. Get the bestseller by Dr Elizabeth Blackburn

Teloyears 

Unlike other genetic test which just tells you about traits or risk for a particular disease, knowing telomere length is much more dynamic because personal lifestyle interventions can slow down or even reverse the aging. In fact, it is known that stress, serious illness or infection can accelerate the telomere shortening and during period of good health the shortening is slowed down.  Along with your results, you also receive expert guidance from ‘Telocoach’ to establish your own custom lifestyle improvement plan based on telomere science. It’s way beyond the routine cholesterol test or tracking ordinary vital signs.

Studies have shown that it’s possible to slow down aging by managing diet, exercise, stress and sleep.

Telomeres are protective caps at the end of our DNA stands. If we imagine that the DNA strand is a big ladder with millions of rungs, telomeres are few thousand rungs at the end of each strand that keep it from ‘unzipping’ and protect the genes which are in the middle of the ladder. Remember the stopper like thing at the end of ordinary zipper, telomeres are just like that.

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As we age, the telomere shorten because of repeated division and a stage comes when they can no longer replicate and become “senescent” which is the cellular equivalent of aging. There is growing evidence (nearly 20,000 peer reviewed publications) that shortened telomeres are related to many chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases. Average telomere length is associated with risk of cardiovascular disease independent of other vascular risk factors.

The company wants to increase awareness among consumers and physician about the Teloyears test, so that it is integrated in annual physical exams, as the information it provides can help change the life style.

It will also help physician in managing individual patients as the Telomere blueprint is different for each one of us.

It is worth noting that Teloyears test does not replace age appropriate medical tests recommended by physicians based on your risk profile or age, nor does the results should be used in making any treatment decisions for existing  medical conditions.

Telomere Diagnostics has successfully resolved the lawsuit it brought to prevent Titanovo from using the patented technology behind the TeloYears™ genetic test for cellular age. In response to the lawsuit, Titanovo has taken down its website and ceased all sales and distribution of all of its products and services.

Teloyears has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Here is a video about Telomere length by Teloyears.

Teloyears.

Related link:  23 and Me receives FDA clearance for at home risk testing for 10 genetic diseases