A new blood test can reveal individual lifespan

Don't put expiry dates on people 

    We thought that medical science was about extending people's lifespans, rather than about telling them how long they have to live. Therefore a new medical test, which will be available in India from this year, seems of questionable value. A simple blood test like the one that estimates cholesterol, it will tell patients the rate at which they are ageing. Unless means can also be found for slowing down this rate, just coming to know how fast our biological clock is ticking – from the length of telomeres or protective chromosome caps in our cells – is hardly helpful. A person's longevity is determined by several factors, some of which can hardly be measured. Not knowing how long one lives is part of the glorious uncertainty of life. But the telomere test threatens to take all that away by putting an expiry date on each person. When scientism induces undue fatalism, it's time to discard it. 
    Proponents will misleadingly argue that taking the test is a matter of individual choice. But imagine the Orwellian uses to which such a test can be put. The marketing of the test as a definitive gauge of one's health makes it susceptible to mischief and misuse. For instance, insurance providers could deny a customer their service based on her telomere test. An 
employer could use the test as an excuse to fire an employee. In addition to their existing stringent criteria, matrimonial advertisements could demand the test for prospective brides and grooms. 
    But the biggest argument against the test is that it militates against hope. Hope is the ultimate embodiment of the human spirit. It can push people to conquer the impossible, allowing us to celebrate life rather than brood over its finiteness. In that sense, the telomere test focusses on the empty half of the glass, breeding a negative outlook on life. 
Test is a boon to mankind Pyaralal Raghavan 
    Asimple blood test to measure lifespan and pace of ageing is yet another important gift that science has bestowed on humanity. Uncertainties about individual lifespan have been a 
major worry that has plagued civilisations since ancient times. So much so that scientific study of lifespan has now even slowly evolved into a distinct branch of science called life extension science, with disciplines like experimental gerontology or biomedical gerontology. The ultimate goal in these disciplines is to discover how to slow down or even reverse the ageing process. But even short of that, there can be a lot of value in finding out how long one's lifespan extends. 
    The issue, after all, fascinated human beings for centuries before modern scientific methods took over. That's why soothsayers, fortune tellers, palm readers and so on had a field day speculating on it. To this day, probably the most popular question directed at fortune tellers has to do with the length of one's lifespan. If there's so much curiosity on the issue, a blood test can now tell all. 
    An accurate projection of lifespan will be a major breakthrough and a boon as it will empower people to take informed decisions on major matters of personal importance. These include career choices, marriage and size of families. One would not, for example, like to have children and then leave them orphaned at a young age. The test will help many to fulfil longcherished dreams, ensure smooth succession planning, help provide for retirement or dependents and also ensure safe transfer of wealth to inheritors. And, above all, it will also allow more motivated persons to even grab a second chance by attempting to prolong the estimated lifespan by making substantial changes in lifestyles or seeking other medical remedies.