The tiny "caps" that keep our chromosomes from fusing together are also providing clues that could eventually lead to the achievement of one our nation's most important public health goals: extending good health well into old age. These caps are called telomeres, and they're at the center of much of the current research into the aging process. A study recently published in science journal The Lancet links the lengths of telomeres with rate of survival …
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…to the onset of age-related diseases, or it is a marker that will lead us to the primary causes of those diseases." Ultimately, scientists may be able to develop medications that will delay the onset of age-related disease, either by maintaining the length of our telomeres, or by addressing whatever other factor is identified as leading to these diseases. Either way, it means the potential for enjoyment of robust health well into our old age.