Telomeres, Illness, and Poverty
Telomeres are the “caps” on the end of chromosomes involved in the replication of DNA. When cells divide and DNA is replicated, a little bit of telomere is lost. At a certain length, telomeres and the chromosomes they’re attached to become too short and the cell dies via apoptosis.
It may seem natural that telomeres play a role in some diseases, such as cancer, but the connection with poverty is more tenuous. Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Harry Burns believes that poor people live under chronic stress, which in turn accelerates cell aging and telomere shortening.
Dr David Kipling, who wrote a book called The Telomere while based at the Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit at Edinburgh’s Western General hospital, said parents seem to pass shortened telomeres, along with other DNA profiles, to their children. Whether this is down to the effect of poverty and social deprivation is not proven.
Finding a way to lengthen or prevent the shortening of telomeres could be one way to delay aging. Telomeres, however, are just one piece of cellular machinery that can and will wear out over time.
The Herald, November 8, 2005
