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Telomere Health

Meaning

Telomere health refers to the structural integrity and appropriate length of telomeres, the protective nucleoprotein caps found at the ends of linear chromosomes. These structures function as a biological clock, shortening with each cell division and in response to oxidative stress and inflammation, thereby limiting cellular lifespan and driving replicative senescence. Maintaining optimal telomere health is a key biomarker in the study of biological aging, as telomere shortening is intrinsically linked to cellular dysfunction, genomic instability, and the onset of age-related diseases. Lifestyle factors and hormonal balance are known to influence the rate of telomere attrition.