Blood tuning

Telomeres – your individual ageing marker

Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes. They shorten with every cell division – a natural process that external stress can accelerate further.

Telomere length in white blood cells (leukocytes) is considered an important biomarker for:

If telomeres are severely shortened, cells divide less well and can lose function. This can weaken immune defence and accelerate ageing.

• Your biological age
• Your cell health
• The performance of your immune system

How the measurement works

A blood sample is sufficient for the analysis. In the laboratory, a modern molecular method (Q-PCR) is used to determine relative telomere length.

Your result is then compared with age-related reference values. This gives you an assessment of whether your biological age is above, below or within the average for your age group.