Anti-Aging Gene Found?

Researchers are claiming they have pinned down a gene with influence on telomere length and shortening rate:

The scientists have discovered that a variant of the TERC gene determines not only how long the telomeres are when someone is born but also how quickly they shorten.

Prof [Nilesh] Samani, who reported his findings in the Journal Nature Genetics, discovered the variant by comparing the genetic make-up and biological age of more than 10,000 people.

He said: “In this study what we found was that those individuals carrying a particular genetic variant had shorter telomeres i.e. looked biologically older.

“Given the association of shorter telomeres with age-associated diseases, the finding raises the question whether individuals carrying the variant are at greater risk of developing such diseases.”

[“Ageing gene found by scientists could be key to longer lifespans” – The Telegraph via Popsci