When I was looking through the BBC News, I came across one eye-catching article, “People who look young for their age 'live longer'”, which shows the photo of my favorite actor, Leonardo Di Caprio.
The article is not about Leonardo Di Caprio’s story, but it is about the researches that explain the link between the perceived age and the survival period. Danish scientists studied 387 pairs of twins and found that the person who has younger looking tends to live longer than his or her twin. Moreover, they found that the important biomarker called telomeres represent the ability of cells’ replication which is related to how young people look. In addition, the researchers told that “perceived age, which is widely used by clinicians as a general indication of a patient's health, is a robust biomarker of ageing that predicts survival among those aged over 70" (¶ 13).
Before I read this article, I think that environment is the major factor of our skins that is reflected in our faces. Now, I realized that genes are the most important factor because, in the study, the twins who have different biomarkers have the difference in perceived age. I am also surprised that we can predict the survival from the perceived age. Thus, it is a good idea for the doctors to concern more about the perceived ages of the patients over 70 years old. If they look older than they years, the doctors may pay attention to them more than the ones who look younger.
Actually, I think this indication may not work because today there are many anti-aging technologies such as laser, skincare products and surgery which can make the older-looking people become younger. Hence, it is hard to predict people’s survival from their faces.
References
People who look young for their age 'live longer'. (2009, December 14). BBC News. Retrieved December 15, 2009 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8411329.stm
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
2 comments:
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I wonder that for some people at some period of time they turn older rapidly, does this has anything with telomeres.
ReplyDeleteOh this means that I'll live a long live, won't I?
ReplyDeleteJust kidding.
Actually, I've heard some information as P'Liu said. We Asian look younger than Caucasian, but at some point we'll get older quickly, 30 or 40 years old maybe.