"Having a low income or eating poorly can hasten aging, according to researchers who evaluated a test that predicts aging by measuring telomeres.
Telomeres are cap-like structures on the ends of chromosomes. Previous research has shown that people with shorter-than-normal telomeres have a shorter lifespan.
In this study, Scottish scientists used the $700 test to compare telomere length in 382 people. Over 10 years, telomeres shorted by 7.7 percent among people with a household income of less than $41,000, compared with 0.6 percent among those who made more money, CBS News reported.
Telomere lengths shortened by 8.7 percent among renters and 2.2 percent among homeowners, and by 7.7 percent among people with poor diets and 1.8 percent among healthy eaters.
The study is scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of the journal PLoS One."
Rebuttal: you can have a low income (or just a low food budget) and still eat better, lengthening your telomeres and living a little longer. It all depends on what foods you choose to spend your money on. Aging (shortened telomeres) can be reversed.
The way the commodities markets have been behaving, it won't be long before a salad is cheaper than a Big Mac. Hopefully, a realignment of farm subsidies will also cure this malady even when the commodities markets resume some sanity. In the meantime, there's always gardening! :)
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