2. Faster Telomere Shortening?
The shortening of telomeres is said to accelerate through abnormal lifestyles, such as smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity, stress, lack of exercise, and sleep disorders. Accordingly, there has been a need to discover how to slow down the shortening of telomeres and reduce the risk of diseases.
The extension of a telomere is performed by an enzyme called telomerase, but in cells without this enzyme, a telomere is shortened every time a cell divide.
It is believed that, by stopping cell division, chromosome instability due to missing telomeres (as described above) will be prevented and cells will be protected from carcinogenesis or the like.