Appearanceof age is all in the genes

Researchers from the University of Leicester and King’s College London made the breakthrough as part of research into the relationships between certain diseases with biological rather than chronological age.

British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiology at the University of Leicester, Professor Nilesh Samani, who co-led the project, yesterday said chronological ageing is how old someone is in years, whereas biological age reflects whether the cells of some people are older or younger than suggested by their actual age.

He said: “There is accumulating evidence that the risk of age-associated diseases including heart disease and some types of cancers are more closely related to biological rather than chronological age.

“What we studied are structures called telomeres which are parts of one’s chromosomes.

“Individuals are born with telomeres of certain length and in many cells telomeres shorten as the cells divide and age.

“Telomere length is therefore considered a marker of biological ageing.”