'Aging Gene' Appears to Be Passed Mostly From Mother to Child http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/82/97174.htm?printing=true "...Previous research has linked the length of telomeres -- the tips of chromosomes -- to disease and life span, say researchers. These structures become progressively shorter each time the cell divides, and it is thought that this shortening is one of the critical features of cellular aging and illness. One study showed people with heart disease had shorter telomeres, while other research showed telomere length was a predictor of death...They found that sex, age, and smoking were all significant predictors of telomere length. Men have shorter telomeres -- makes sense given their shorter life spans. In addition, telomere length was shorter among smokers. As expected, older people had shorter telomeres... ...The researchers found a much stronger correlation between the mothers' telomere length and that of the offspring. Dads' telomere length was somewhat predictive of their daughters' life spans.
And since women have two X chromosomes, which are generally longer than those found in men, and men have just one -- to go along with their Y chromosome -- the researchers conclude that this aging gene most likely lives on the X chromosome. This would explain why a mother's telomere length is more predictive of life span. To help support this idea, the researchers point to a condition called dyskeratosis congenita, which is due to a mutation on the X chromosome. People with this condition have unstable telomeres and develop diseases at an early age that are normally associated with aging. In addition, they generally suffer premature death. As to why men -- and smokers -- have shorter telomeres, the researchers suggest that it may be due to a decreased ability to handle damaging by-products in the body..." Debbi It's All Your Fault...Mostly Maru __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
