LIFESTYLE IMPACTS ON THE EXPRESSION OF BIOMARKERS OF DNA DAMAGE

Telomeres are the chromosomal ends to preserve DNA integrity and chromosomal stability. Shortening of telomere length induces the cell damage. Human telomere length is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors and it is closely related to aging and the development of some diseases. The paper summarizes the results of the work focused on the impact of lifestyle, particularly exercise and diet, to change the length of telomeres. These works have shown that various forms of exercise and diet modify the length of telomeres. It is possible to prevent the mass aging of cells and the emergence of many diseases due to longer and more stable telomeres. Our study suggests that an appropriate exercise and a reasonable diet can be effective non-pharmacological tools to slow down the aging process. However, the evaluation of the efficacy of such approaches is extremely difficult because the measurement of effects on fitness and lifespan would require long lasting clinical studies. The development of molecular markers which not only indicate a biological age of the individual but are also sensitive to intervention and lifestyle factors would represent an important step for the future development of anti-aging therapies.