“…Telomeres shorten with advancing age (Muezzinler et al, 2013) and are generally shorter in men than in women (Gardner et al, 2014). Telomeres also shorten with repeated mitosis in somatic cells, with replication-and nuclease-associated telomeric DNA damage, and with exposure to oxidative stress, certain cytotoxins, inflammation, and possibly stress hormones (Effros, 2011;Epel et al, 2004;Lindqvist et al, 2015;von Zglinicki, 2002;Wolkowitz et al, 2011). Among the most important lifestyle-and experience-related factors that may impinge on LTL are stress (Epel, 2009;Epel et al, 2004), tobacco use (Babizhayev et al, 2011), exercise (Puterman et al, 2010); and diet (Epel, 2009;Freitas-Simoes et al, 2016), as well certain medical risk factors, such as visceral adiposity (Epel, 2009) (but see (Diaz et al, 2010)), metabolic stress (Epel, 2009) and certain chronic viral infections (e.g., cytomegalovirus) (Effros, 2011).…”