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Moles 'Good Indicator To Aging'
The number of moles may offer an
indication of how quickly the body ages, a study suggests.
King's College London scientists compared key ageing
DNA with the number of moles in a study of 1,800 twins.
They found the more moles a person had, the more
likely their DNA was to have the properties to fight off ageing.
The study, in the Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers
and Prevention journal, contrasts with the link between a high
mole-count and high skin cancer risk.
Moles appear in childhood and disappear from
middle age onwards.
When present in large numbers they can increase
the risk of melanoma, a rare form of skin cancer. Moles vary significantly
in numbers and size between individuals.
The average number of moles in people with white
skin is 30 but some people may have as many as 400.
The reason for such differences between people
is unknown as is the function of moles.
Since moles disappear with age, scientists looked
at the relationship between the number of moles and telomere length
in cells, which is a good indicator of the rate of ageing in organs
such as the heart, muscle, bones and arteries.
Telomeres, which get shorter as we age, are bundles
of DNA found at the end of chromosomes in all cells and assist
in the protection, replication, and stabilisation of the chromosome
ends.
They have been compared with the plastic tips
on shoelaces because they prevent chromosome ends from fraying
and sticking to each other.
'Exciting'
In the study, researchers found those with more
than 100 moles had longer telomeres than those with fewer than
25.
The difference between the two mole groups was
equivalent to six to seven years of ageing.
Lead researcher Dr Veronique Bataille said: "The
results of this study are very exciting as they show, for the
first time, that moley people who have a slightly increased risk
of melanoma may, on the other hand, have the benefit of a reduced
rate of ageing.
"This could imply susceptibility to fewer age-related
diseases such as heart disease or osteoporosis, for example. Further
studies are needed to confirm these findings."
Dr Kat Arney, of Cancer Research UK, said: "While
this is an intriguing finding and deserves further investigation,
it's important people know that having a large number of moles
can increase your risk of skin cancer.
"It's especially important to enjoy the sun safely
if you have lots of moles or burn easily."
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