A process linked to natural cell aging has now also been associated with knee osteoarthritis, researchers say. Telomeres -- lengths of DNA on the ends of chromosomes, sometimes described as being like the plastic cap on a shoelace tip -- naturally shorten with age, but can also shorten due to sudden cell damage. Abnormally short telomeres have been found in some types of cancer and preliminary research has suggested that the average telomere length is also shortened in osteoarthritis.
