scientists have found that smoking and obesity can biologically age people.
smoking can acccelerate the ageing process by 4.6 years however with obesity it was 9 years.
Quote:
The researchers looked at telomeres - strips of DNA that cap the end of chromosomes and appear to protect and stabilise them.
Telomeres shorten each time a cell divides, until there is nothing left, making cell division less reliable and increasing the risk of disorders. This happens naturally with ageing.
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source: BBC news
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4086900.stm
interesting
