A recently published study out of Lund University reveals that the aging process for an individual is based on a combination of hereditary and non- hereditary factors that come from one’s parents. The aging process is linked to the length of the person’s telomeres, or the ends of chromosomes. The longer the length of the telomeres, the longer the chromosomes are protected from sticking together and continue proper functioning. In the 30 year study of birds, great reed warblers, the researchers found that the age of one parent seems to be at least one factor in the length of an offspring’s telomeres. The older mother birds had offspring with longer telomeres. While a similar link is seen in human’s, the link is to the father’s older age.
See, How Fast You Age Depends On Your Parents, Science Blog, Dec. 11, 2014.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
