Read about aging (or cancer), and you’ll undoubtedly come across the term telomere. Telomeres are protective bits on the ends of chromosomes, which, as cells divide and replicate, get shorter and shorter. Once telomeres get too short, cells stop dividing, which is why they’re associated with aging. So, how can you slow your shortening telomeres? Alcohol.
A study published in PLOS Genetics sought to test a number of stressors on telomere length, so they grew yeast (a simple organism that also maintains telomeres) in the presence of thirteen different environmental stressors. They found that caffeine and high temperatures resulted in shorter telomeres and that acetic acid and alcohol resulted in longer ones.
A flimsy reason to drink more whisky? Not for us—and we’ll even drink to your health too.
