What is TeloYears?TeloYears is a is a telomere health tracking program that uses your DNA to help you measure and improve your vitality. TeloYears measures the length of your telomeres, which are the protective caps on the ends of your DNA strands that tend to shorten and fray with age. Your TeloYears results report provides the age of your cells in in TeloYears, or the actual age of the typical man or woman whose telomere length is similar to yours. |
Why should I use TeloYears?The TeloYears program helps you track and improve the age of your cells in TeloYears so you can make better lifestyle decisions based on your telomere health and better control how well you’re aging at the level of your own DNA. You can then use your results to set a baseline and make lifestyle improvements and track your progress over time. Or simply because it feels good to know that you have taken a proactive step to gain self-knowledge, which alone can be a powerful motivator for positive change. Or maybe you’re just curious. |
Why is it important to know the age of my cells in TeloYears?Tracking the age of your cells cells in TeloYears allows you to understand how quickly or slowly you are aging at a cellular level and take action to improve it. Decades of research published in scientific journals has shown that shorter telomeres are associated with accelerated aging and aging-related conditions. TeloYears results can be used to reinforce lifestyle changes that are associated with slowing and even reversing cellular aging. You can repeat TeloYears over time to see how your lifestyle (e,g. diet, exercise and stress management) plans are working to improve functioning on a cellular level. |
What is the age of my cells in TeloYears?The age of your cells in TeloYears is calculated as the actual age of a typical man or woman whose telomere length is similar to yours. Learn more about this calculation. |
How much does TeloYears cost?$99 for the Basic package, $199 for TeloYears + TeloCoach. |
Can I get a refund?In order to receive a refund for our service, you must notify us within thirty (30) days of placing your order that you request a refund and confirm that you have not yet shipped your blood sample to our laboratory. We will refund the balance of the total purchase price after subtracting $20 to cover shipping and handling charges. We will not issue a refund if (i) you request a refund more than thirty (30) days after your order was placed or (ii) our laboratory had begun processing your blood sample prior to your request for refund. See full TeloYears Refund and Replacement Policy. |
How is TeloYears regulated? Is it approved by the FDA?The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulates laboratory testing in the USA through the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA). The TeloYears lab is regulated under CLIA as qualified to perform high complexity clinical testing. Based on passing an inspection and meeting stringent quality standards, we have earned a CLIA Certificate of Compliance and were last inspected in February 2016. The performance characteristics of TeloYears were determined by Telomere Diagnostics. It has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. |
How do I get TeloYears?You can buy TeloYears on our website and collect your sample at home. Once you enter your order information, it is reviewed by a doctor who places an order for you. We then send your sample collection kit. Using its supplies, collect one-drop of blood from your finger and mail it back in the pre-paid envelope. There is no lab, phlebotomist, or blood draw required. You will receive your TeloYears results in the mail 3 to 4 weeks after we receive your sample. |
How long does it take to receive my results?As we are currently focusing on COVID-19 testing, you will receive your TeloYears results up to 5 to 6 weeks after we receive your sample. |
How secure and private is TeloYears?Your information (contact information, payment information and test results) is kept absolutely private according to our Privacy Policy. Contact and results information and are available only to you and the ordering doctor as mandated by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security guidelines. Transmission of your information takes place only through encrypted connections using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificates (aka “digital certificates”). Your payment and contact information is transmitted in compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS). Finally, your information is never shared with external third parties. |
Is my blood sample secure in the mail?Using The United States Postal Service is an accepted industry standard because the USPS routinely delivers biological specimens securely from individuals to their corresponding laboratories. |
Where is my sample sent?Your sample is sent to the Telomere Diagnostics laboratory in Menlo Park, California. |
Do I need a doctor to get the TeloYears test?As part of the service included with your TeloYears purchase price, the order information you submit is reviewed by a doctor who electronically places an order for you. We use an independent group of physicians who are authorized to order DNA tests like ours. Then, we send you your TeloYears At-Home Sample Collection Kit for you to collect and mail your sample to us to perform analysis of your telomere length in the Telomere Diagnostics laboratory in Menlo Park, California, which is in the heart of Silicon Valley. |
Does it hurt to submit a sample?All you feel is a minor sensation when the small lancet pierces the skin of your fingertip. The finger stick is a similar method to that used in at-home blood glucose monitoring. |
Can I buy TeloYears as a gift?Yes. You can buy TeloYears Gift Cards for others. The price of each gift card is $99 and it can be redeemed for one TeloYears test. |
If I received a TeloYears Gift Card, how do I redeem it?Simply visit the shopping cart webpage, click on “Have a Gift Card?” and enter the gift card redemption number. |
What is TeloYears + TeloCoach?TeloYears + TeloCoach is a premium option for receiving advice, support, and motivation from a certified expert--a TeloCoach--who works with you to customize a lifestyle improvement plan. TeloYears + TeloCoach includes a TeloYears Test, one-on-one advice from a certified TeloCoach who will help you better understand what your results really mean and what to do with them by working with you to provide a Personalized Lifestyle Action Plan based on your telomere health and lifestyle habits. You also get online support. Plus you'll receive priority processing to get your results faster (in just 1 to 2 weeks). |
How much does TeloYears + TeloCoach cost?TeloYears + TeloCoach is only $199 + s/h and includes a TeloYears Test, one-on-one advice from a TeloYears Coach who will help you better understand what your results really mean and what to do with them by providing a Personalized Lifestyle Action Plan. You also get online support and priority processing to get faster results in just 1 to 2 weeks. |
How do I schedule my TeloCoach Coaching call?Once your TeloYears results are ready, you will receive an email from your TeloCoach to schedule your one-on-one coaching call. |
What is a Personalized Lifestyle Action Plan?Your Personalized Lifestyle Action Plan is a customized plan with suggestions based on telomere science, your results and lifestyle habits to improve your vitality. |
How do I get started?Getting started is easy. Just go to BUY and select TeloYears + TeloCoach. Once you have completed your order, you will be sent an At-Home Sample Collection Kit in the mail in about a week and emailed instructions on completing your in-depth assessment of your lifestyle habits and health information. |
What is Advanced Ancestry?Advanced Ancestry is the world’s first genome-wide ancestry service to use next generation sequencing. With this technology, we can examine over 300,000,000 data points to provide double the ethnic groups of the leading health plus ancestry test as well as in-depth East Asian ancestry. |
How do I get Advanced Ancestry and what is the process?Getting Advanced Ancestry is easy. Once you have ordered your test online, we will send you an at-home sample collection kit. Collect a drop or two of blood from your finger and mail it back in the pre-paid envelope. You will receive your results in 6-8 weeks. |
What does Advanced Ancestry cost?Advanced Ancestry alone costs $99. You can also chose TeloYears+Advanced Ancestry and get the most advanced actionable DNA health test that tracks your cellular age based on your telomere length and the first genome-wide ancestry service using next generation sequencing. |
How long does it take to get my results?Advanced Ancestry involves a highly complex analysis because we examine the entire genome as part of our next generation sequencing service. It will typically take 6-8 weeks to get your results once we receive your sample. As soon as they are available, your results will be uploaded to a secure online portal and you will receive an email on how to access it. |
What is TeloYears+Advanced Ancestry?TeloYears+Advanced Ancestry gives you the most advanced actionable DNA health test that tracks your cellular age based on your telomere length and the first genome-wide ancestry service using next generation sequencing. You receive everything you need in one convenient collection kit. |
What measures do you take to ensure my information is secure?We know that personal privacy is very important. In addition to state of the art encryption, we utilize a proprietary method that reveals your ancestry information without compromising your private medical information such as disease risk. |
What are telomeres?DNA, considered the building block of life, is found in nearly every cell in our bodies in small packages called chromosomes. Telomeres are the protective caps on the ends of these chromosomes that tend to shorten and fray with age. |
Why are telomeres important?For our bodies to heal and function properly, cells must divide to replace old, worn out cells. Telomeres protect our DNA and prevent genomic instability during this division. When telomeres get too short, the cells they are in are no longer able to divide. |
What happens to telomeres as we age?When we are born, our telomeres are generally at their longest. However, throughout our lives, every time our cells divide, the telomeres shorten. At a certain point, our chromosomes will reach a critical length and can no longer be replicated. When this occurs, the cell enters into a state of growth arrest known as “cellular senescence,” which is the cellular equivalent of aging. |
Do everyone's cells age at the same rate throughout their lifetime?No. The rate of change of your telomere length is very individual and can be affected, both positively and negatively, by many contributing factors including genetics, lifestyle, stress and environment. In fact, the rate of change is not constant even within the same person's lifetime. You may be able to slow the rate at which your telomeres shorten with lifestyle interventions. Telomeres can shorten more rapidly during periods of stress such as serious illness or infection. Likewise, during periods of good health, the telomeric rate of shortening can slow significantly. Finally, proper diet, exercise and stress management have been shown to even increase telomere length. |
How are telomeres measured?In our Telomere Diagnostics lab, we measure the average telomere length found in the DNA using qPCR (quantified polymerase chain reaction), which is the most accurate method of measuring telomere length and by far the most referenced in scientific literature. |
What does average telomere length mean (ATL)?ATL is the mean length of all telomeres in a given sample. TeloYears uses leukocytes or white blood cells (WBCs) found in a single drop of blood. |
Why is TeloYears performed based on a single blood drop and not from saliva or a typical blood draw?Blood is the standard sample collection method used for telomere measurement in the scientific literature as it it typically more reliable than saliva. The TeloYears method to collect a drop of blood via a simple fingerstick offers the best combination of reliability and convenience. There are plenty of cells (up to 50,000) in a single drop of blood for us to reliably measure your telomeres. In addition, you can perform the fingerstick in the comfort of your own home. You do not need to go to a doctor’s office or laboratory for a routine blood draw. While telomeres could be measured from saliva, the result can be more variable due to external factors like toothpaste, food, phlegm, coffee, and other contaminants. |
What was the Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded for in relation to telomeres?The 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase to a founder of the company that now provides TeloYears. Learn more. |
What will my TeloYears results look like?Your TeloYears results include a TeloYears results report and the TeloYears Blueprint for Aging Well. The results report will reveal the current age of your cells in TeloYears. Your cells' age in TeloYears is the actual age of a typical man or woman whose telomere length is similar to yours. The report also includes average telomere length and how it compares (as a percentile) to others your same age and gender. Finally, the test report allows you to track your TeloYears results over time. Click here to view a sample test report. The TeloYears Blueprint for Success provides more details on telomere science and lifestyle suggestions to make the most out of your results. |
What can I do to lengthen telomeres?Specific diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management have been demonstrated to impact telomere length. Suggestions for you to consider are included in the TeloYears Blueprint for Aging Well that is a part of your TeloYears test results. |
When should I remeasure my telomeres with TeloYears?Telomere length changes over time and can be affected by numerous lifestyle and environmental factors. For routine monitoring, testing every 3 to 6 months is suggested. |
What is the TeloYears Blueprint for Aging Well?The TeloYears Blueprint for Aging Well compiles and distills the decades of scientific evidence on the link between telomere length and aging into one simple, tabulated, and value added resource for those who feel inspired to take action and get the most out of their results. It also includes a self-assessment for you to use to optimize your lifestyle decisions. It comes as part of your TeloYears results. |
Would this test tell me anything concerning about my telomeres that I should be aware of?The TeloYears test does not diagnose, mitigate, or treat any desease, including any telomere syndrome. However, TeloYears customers with extreme average telomere length (ATL) results may be at risk of a rare telomere syndrome. These customers are recommended to consult with a doctor and potentially undergo additional testing as the TeloYears genetic test does not diagnose rare telomere syndromes associated with extremely short or long ATL. |
Contact us if you need additional assistance.