Did you know that how we eat, move, think and feel can either help keep our cells healthy or put them into early retirement?
And as it turns out, our cells ageing, largely depends on the length of our telomeres.
Let me explain a little...
Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes. Inside every cell, chromosomes carry our genetic information and help ensure DNA is accurately copied every time a cell divides. If chromosomes were shoelaces, telomeres would be the plastic tips that keep them from fraying.
But telomeres shorten with each cell division. And when they get too short, cells lose their ability to divide and renew the body tissues that depend on them. A lack of new cells in the walls of our blood vessels, for instance, could lead to hardening arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack.
So here's the good news!! In 2009, a trio of molecular biologists – Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak – won the Nobel Prize for decoding the molecular nature of telomeres and discovering an enzyme called telomerase that can replenish them.
So today, thanks to this scientific discovery, slowing down cellular wear and tear is easier than you think. And its the simple things like changes in diet, exercise, mental health and sleep patterns that can either deplete our telomeres – putting us at increased risk for disease – or protect them from premature wear and tear.
For sure, there are other prominent theories that suggest ageing results from oxidative damage by free radicals, the toxic byproducts of normal cell metabolism that erode DNA, vital proteins and the cell's energy generators, called mitochondria. However, taking great care of your telomeres will also be a great plus for achieving optimal health and longevity.
Here are 5 tips for a Telomere-based longevity program:
1. Telomeres do like some forms of exercise..
Resistance exercise, such as weightlifting, has little effect on telomerase, the enzyme that replenishes telomeres. But over a six-month period, two forms of aerobic exercise shows to increase telomerase activity twofold. One was moderate exercise, such as light jogging or fast walking, performed three times a week for at least 45 minutes. The other telomerase-friendly workout, also performed three times a week, was high-intensity interval training, consisting of a 10-minute warm-up, four alternating intervals of fast and easy running (at three minutes each) and a 10 minute cool-down. Those of us with high-stress lives need exercise the most, So if you are the type of person with a lot of stress in you life, then exercising has twice as good an effect on telomere maintenance as for somebody who was not stressed.
2. Telomeres don't care how much you weigh
Repeated weight loss and weight gain (yo-yo dieting) appears to shorten telomeres. Instead of focusing on the numbers on the scale, we should take steps to reduce excess overall fat (as opposed to fat on the specific body parts ie hips and thighs) and improve our metabolic health.
While the war on sugar is nothing new, telomere science quantifies to a degree that excess sugar consumption shortens lives. Drinking sugary pop a day can speed up the biological ageing (as measured by telomere shortness) compared with those who do not consume these types of drinks.
3. Telomeres thrive on fish, seaweeds and flaxseed oil
All are sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids, linked to longer telomeres. In a 2010 study, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, tested blood levels of omega-3s in 608 middle-aged patients with heart disease. The higher their blood levels of omega-3s, the less their telomeres shortened over the next five years. Of those who had telomere shortening, 39 per cent died in the next four years, according to a follow-up report. Of those whose telomeres appeared to have lengthened, 12 per cent died – a significant difference considering that all participants had heart disease.
Another way to feed your telomeres is to eat plenty of whole grains, vegetables, fruit and nuts – basically, the Mediterranean diet. Foods associated with shorter telomeres include the usual suspects: sugar, processed meats, white bread and pastries, saturated fat, omega-6 polyunsaturated fats and excess alcohol (more than four drinks a day).
4. Depression and anxiety deplete telomeres, but meditation may replenish them.
In a 2014 study of nearly 3,000 Dutch people, researchers found that the longer and more severe the depression, the shorter the telomeres. Anxiety, pessimism, hostility, mind wandering and rumination have also been linked to shorter telomeres. Fortunately, practices known to help us break these mental habits may help lengthen telomeres.
In a 2012 study, researchers divided 64 people with chronic-fatigue syndrome into a control group and a group who learned qigong, a Chinese practice that emphasises meditative movements and breathing. After four months, participants who practised qigong had significantly greater increases in telomerase activity, and reductions in fatigue, than those not doing qigong.
A separate study, published in 2014, evaluated the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a program that teaches people to pay attention to their breathing and the flow of their thoughts. Of 142 women with breast cancer, those who practised MBSR for three months showed increases in telomerase of 17 per cent, compared with the control group.
Other mind-body practices, such as yoga and tai chi, may yield similar results in future studies, Blackburn and Epel write.
5. Telomerase supplements may be risky, while commercial telomere tests are unregulated
Beware of pills, creams or injections that claim to boost telomerase and thereby restore your telomeres. If telomerase supplements actually worked – and that's a big "if" – they could endanger your health, Blackburn and Epel say. Adding too much of this enzyme in the wrong cells at the wrong time could trigger the kind of uncontrolled cell growth that leads to cancer. Cancer, after all, results from cells that won't stop dividing. There is a big difference between the body's normal response to healthy lifestyle changes and the unknown effects of artificial or "plant-derived" telomerase, the authors write.
Since it can take months or years for telomeres to change significantly, the authors write, we should focus on maintaining healthy habits rather than obsessing about telomere length at any one point in time. "It's a long-term project and it's all about stability over years," Epel says, "but that does start with what you do each day. Each day matters."