Moles tell a lot more about health
A recent study by researchers from Kings’ college, London reveals that people with more than 100 moles on their body have less chance of osteoporosis or brittle bones.
The study conducted among 1,200 identical and non-identical twins aged between 17-89 shows that the cells in people with large number of moles have an inherent ability to repair itself because it has longer telomeres which control cell division.
High mole numbers are directly connected with longer telomeres and longer telomeres protect skin, bones, muscles, heart and eyes from the effects of ageing.
The study also revealed that people with more than 100 moles show greater bone density and a 50 percent lower chance of osteoporosis in their later life compared to those with 25 moles or less.
According to the researchers moles are the visible manifestation of many health benefits like slow ageing. But, its effectiveness against brittle bones has been identified recently. Dr. Veronique Bataille, a dermatologist at Hemel Hempstead General Hospital notes the relationship between moles and ageing.
"Some people will have two moles, some people will have 600, but when you have a patient with lots of moles, we noticed they tended to age better," Bataille observed.
Researchers also warn that people with a huge number of moles have a higher chance of skin and colon cancer.
"As a clinician, when I get a patient with lots of moles, I automatically want to know about their family history of cancer, so I can think about prevention."
"This is not just melanoma, but also more common cancers such as breast and colon cancer," Bataille said. She also adds that there are only 5,000 cases of skin cancer a year compared with 39,000 cases of bowel cancer.