Is the risk of age-related disease determined genetically?

Biological ageing may be a genetic trait that influences the risk of age-related disorders, such as heart disease and cancer, say researchers at the University of Leicester and King’s College London (Nature Genetics 2010; published online 7 February).

In many cells, structures called telomeres – which are part of the chromosomes – shorten as the cells divide and age; telomere length is therefore considered to be a marker of biological ageing. Working with the University of Groningen in The Netherlands and funded by The Wellcome Trust and the British Heart Foundation, they have identified a genetic variant associated with shorter telomere length.

Current opinion favours a link between age-related disorders and biological, rather than chronological age. The newly discovered variants, located near TERC (a gene that regulates telomere length), may identify individuals programmed to age at a faster rate, or who are more susceptible to the effects of environmental risk factors such as smoking. The difference may be equivalent to three to four years of biological ageing,
investigators suggest.