Telomeres
Telomeres are the protective ends of your chromosomes, like caps on your DNA. They shorten with aging, but the link with health is more complicated than often thought.
Telomeres at a glance
For whom
People curious about the biology of aging.
Not for whom
An expensive telomere test is wasted money for most.
In practice
Invest in proven lifestyle (exercise, not smoking, healthy weight) rather than telomere tests.
Key caveats
Telomere length fluctuates and is hard to measure reliably; single results say little.
Known
Not yet
What popular health podcasts claimed about telomeres, checked against the research.
We follow the latest research on telomeres and listen to leading health podcasts, and we check what they claim. You'll get one email on Thursdays with what matters, and only when there's something new.
You can add more topics later, such as exercise or sleep.