Posts Tagged ‘telomeres’

It is a fact that lifestyle not genes predict aging.

British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiology at the University of Leicester Professor Nilesh Samani, of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, who co-led the project explained that there are two forms of ageing – chronological aging i.e. how old you are in years and biological ageing whereby the cells of some individuals are older (or younger) than suggested by their actual age.

He said: “There is accumulating evidence that the risk of age-associated diseases including heart disease and some types of cancers are more closely related to biological rather than chronological age.

Aging

All of us age at different rates, and yes some people seem to age better. That is usually attributed to good genes. While that is not entirely wrong, there are a few factors to consider. Genes are turned on and off by lifestyle factors. Entering the world with good genes is nothing to sneeze at. Everyone, would like to be blessed with good genes.

However, the expression of these genes can be turned on or off by the way one lives. Chronological aging and biological aging can be on two different clocks. Age associated-diseases conditions are more closely related to biological aging than chronological.

Telomere Length

Individuals are born with telomeres of a certain length and in numerous cells telomeres become shorter as the cell divide and age. Telomere length is a marker for biological ageing.

The results of a recent study in JAMA suggested a link between inactivity and aging. They found the telomere length of individuals exercising with moderate to high intensity workouts of 199 plus minutes per week had telomere length of individuals 10 years younger than their sedentary counterpart.

Biological age should be lower then one’s chronological age.

Use It or Lose It

Use it or lose it has relevance in this study. Since diet and exercise are ways to stay biologically young, than taking care is survival 101. Genes aren’t your destiny. Your outlook, diet, and exercise routines may be the most important components in increasing both the length and quality of your life.

If alternative practitioners are looking for validation that nutrition is the key to both preventing and turning around disease they can now find it. The role of both telomeres and nutrition in human aging is an exciting new area of research.

If allopathic medical practitioners are saying eat what you want it doesn’t make a difference in disease, this makes them ineffective as healers.

Proof Positive                                     

A recent review of evidence and two new studies from the Unites States and Canada / France looked at nutrients from food. The conclusions support the cancer protective role of antioxidants, whilst the US study results support the role of vitamin and mineral supplements in maintaining the health of DNA (telomere length within DNA may be a marker for biological ageing).

Antioxidant vitamins and minerals are known to play various crucial roles in modulating oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, and this appears to be a key factor in the rate at which cells age. Vitamins and minerals are what lengthen telomeres.

Elisa Bandera and a team of researchers from the Cancer Institute on New Jersey in the US, have reviewed one recently completed ‘cohort’ study (tracking the same people over time) and 12 recent ‘case-control’ studies (comparing subjects with controls, to find cause and effect relationships) to investigate the association between antioxidant vitamins C, E and beta-carotene intake from food sources, and endometrial (womb) cancer. The results found that as dietary antioxidant intake increased, endometrial cancer risk decreased.

There is a recent US study that provides the first epidemiological evidence that multivitamin use is associated with longer telomere length among women. In the study, led by Qun Xu, Ph.D. of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences in North Carolina, multivitamin use and nutrient intakes were assessed in a cross-sectional analysis of data from 586 participants. The researchers found that multivitamin use was associated with longer (5.1%) telomeres. This was also the case for higher intakes of vitamins C and E from food. Also, intakes of vitamins C and E were associated with telomere length among those who did not take multivitamins.

Telomeres and Aging

Chromosomes are long strands of DNA with a telomere at the end. The telomere is something like the shoelace end or a bookend. They protect chromosomes from fusing or binding with other DNA.

When a cell divides and copies the DNA, the strands of DNA get snipped in the copying process. The part that is snipped is the telomeres. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres become shorter.

When telomeres get too short, parts of the DNA get damaged. Cells stop replicating when this happens. In humans, a cell replicates around 50 times before this occurs.

The cell’s telomeres determine the cell’s age. This is the frontier of anti-aging research. When the cell stops replicating it is a period of decline called “cell senescence,” which is cell aging.

What This Means

The incidence of cancer is higher in the aging population. Telomere length determines the rate of aging. Antioxidants from fruits, vegetables, along with their supply of vitamins and minerals are responsible for the cells health and age. Telemeres and nutrition are both a factor in human aging.

The length of the telomeres seems to determine how fast aging occurs. If you already have a chronic condition, than the key to turning it around will be to lengthen the telomeres through a healthy lifestyle.

Alternative practitioners understand the crucial roll of nutrition and treat with that premise. While allopathic physician’s treatment usually deplete vitamins and minerals at a time they are crucial.  

The evidence that people cured conditions by diet is very strong. While science keeps doing more and more research this is proving to be the case. Waiting for more evidence isn’t necessary because a good diet is a safe investment in your future.

Longevity is tied to a youthful appearance. People who look younger then their years have a healthy advantage. Perceived age is recognized by doctors as a general indicator of a patient’s health.

Study

Research published online in the British medical journal backs this up.

In 2001, Danish researchers conducted physical and cognitive tests on more than 1,800 pairs of twins over aged 70, as well as taking photos of their faces. Three groups of people who didn’t know the twins’ real ages guessed how old they were. The researchers then tracked how long the twins survived over 7 years.

The experts found that people who looked younger than their actual age were far more likely to survive, even after they adjusted for other factors like gender and environment. The bigger the difference in perceived age the more accurate the forecast was.

Biological Explanation

They also found a possible biological explanation: people who looked younger also tended to have longer telomeres, a key DNA component that is linked to aging. People with shorter telomeres are thought to age faster. In the Danish study, the more fresh-faced people had longer telomeres.

The telomere is the tip of the DNA, something like the tip to a shoelace. People that are over 60 that had the shortest DNA tip were three times more likely to succome to heart disease, and eight times more likely not to be able to fight off infectious diseases. People with younger and longer telomeres do better.

Shorter-than-usual telomeres also have been found in many cancers, including those of the pancreas, prostate, bladder, lung, kidney and head and neck.

Good News

Telomeres are influenced by your everyday choices. Everyone knows unhealthy choices such as smoking ages you. These choices can add anywhere from five to ten years to your appearance. Which we now know can deduct years off your life, while adding years to your looks. 

In a San Francisco study, the men who changed their diets, got regular exercised and cut their stress with meditation increased levels of enzymes that lengthened their telomeres in the immune cells.

Getting off the diet roller-coaster and achieving a consistent lower weight. Eating healthy foods like vegetables, fruit, whole grains, good protein and healthy fats from fish, nuts and avocados are associated with longer telomeres.

Inactive people have shorter telomeres than active people. Smoking two packs a day aged participants in one telomere study by 7.4 years. Telomeres, in one study, were longest in those eating the most vitamin C-rich foods — including citrus fruit, strawberries and red bell peppers, and vitamin E-rich foods such as whole grains.  Also, salmon, trout, and olive oil are healthy choices.  Researchers in Hong Kong found the longest telomeres in men who drank three cups of green tea or sometimes black tea a day.

Action

Longevity is generated by your choices. Reducing risk factors means you have to take action. Scientific validation is playing a role in understanding the favorable modifications that change age-related disease processes. Additionally, prevention brings with it a youthful appearance.  

 What This Means To You

It means a longer healthier life, where you get to look and feel good. With longevity tied to a youthful appearance, it means that looking young has a purpose. The beneficial effect is that you avoid debilitating health conditions. You are afforded the perfect opportunity to take charge of your life. The picture emerging is empowering and offers everyone the opportunity to experience better health. Telomeres are for today and tomorrow, holding a veritable treasure trove of life giving properties