Cell Science Systems, Corp. (Deerfield Beach, FL), one of the very few labs to offer telomere length testing, has launched its new version of this test at an affordable price. Knowing your telomere length is important because it directly relates to health and longevity.

Telomere length testing has recently become of wider interest following a study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, published just this week in the British Medical Journal. In the study, “Mediterranean diet and telomere length in Nurses’ Health Study: population based cohort study,” researchers analyzed 4,676 disease-free women who had their telomeres measured and completed biennial food frequency questionnaires. They found that women who follow the Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and unrefined grains, had longer telomere length. Longer telomere length is usually associated with greater health and longevity.

Telomeres are repetitive, non-encoding DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes that get shorter each time a cell divides. They are analogous to the plastic tips on shoelaces and protect the DNA that gets copied. Shorter telomeres are associated with a decreased life expectancy and increased rate of aging-related disease.

What do you do if your telomeres are not as long as you’d like?  Cell Science Systems is also well known for its proprietary method of food and chemical sensitivity testing—the Alcat Test. Food and chemical sensitivities have been linked to inflammatory processes; and, inflammatory processes shorten telomeres.

“This research supports our view that diet plays a critical role in overall health and aging. Combining the Alcat Food Sensitivity Test with Telomere Length testing is a perfect marriage,” said David Blyweiss, MD, MPH, chief medical officer for Cell Science Systems. “The Alcat blood test can help determine which foods and other substances may trigger unwanted inflammation which accelerates telomere attrition.”

For more information, call (800) US-ALCAT or visit www.alcat.com.