‘Moley’ people age slowly, claim researchers

EVERGREEN individuals who never seem to age are also likely to be covered in moles, new research suggests.

A study of twins found a striking correlation between high numbers of moles and a biological marker for slow ageing.

As a result, people with a lot of moles might be expected to live longer than those who have very few, despite facing a greater risk of skin cancer.

Study leader Dr Veronique Bataille, of the Twin Research Unit at King’s College London, said: “The results are very exciting as they show, for the first time, that ‘moley’ people who have a slightly increased risk of melanoma (skin cancer) 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. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.”

Moles appear in childhood and tend to vanish from middle age onwards. They vary significantly in number and size. Moles range in diameter from 2mm to well over 5mm.

Professor Tim Spector, head of the Twin Research Unit and co-author of the study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, said: “We now plan to look in more detail at the genes which influence the numbers of moles and to see whether they may also slow down the ageing process in general. We’ll examine the rate of ageing in the skin, muscles and bones in different groups according to their mole counts.”