The test itself doesn't look to see if you have any underlying medical complaints such as heart problems or cancer; it simply predicts how long you will live by looking at the length of a person's telomeres. Telomeres are structures at the tips of our chromosomes. The shorter your telomeres are the more likely you are to die younger, although conversely long telomeres have not been proven to mean that you'll live any longer than average, nor does it mean that you won't contract any life threatening disease that could shorten your life.
For me, I don't I like it. It's technology taken to far and a bit too much meddling in my mind. It's OK if you get a good reading and your score says you'll still be running marathons as an octogenarian, but what if you get a bad score? How blighted will the years you have left be if you're constantly clock watching and self-diagnosing your own demise?
Another worry I have with tests such as these is that they may become mandatory. Mortgage and Life Insurance companies may insist in the future that people undergo these tests, regardless of whether they want to or not. Those with unsatisfactory test results could find themselves in a situation where they are paying over the odds for a policy or be denied one completely on the strength of the test.
I've also no doubt that overnight miracle cures will spring up that promise to lengthen a person's telomeres and offer the promise of longevity of life.
What about you, would you want to know when you're likely to die?
Wikio
