Telomeres and Nutrition

A post by Blanche Scharf http://www.yourhealthupdates.com I have been studying natural healing modalities for the last 25 years. In that time I have had the privilege of working with some of the greatest minds in Natural Healing including Naturopaths, Scientists, and Energy Healers. I have seen people miraculously heal from all kinds of dis-ease thru non-invasive methods. Personally, I have experienced all kinds of diets from Macrobiotics to Raw Foods. Now is a very important time to start sharing this health information with as many people as possible, so people can make well informed decisions about their health and not fall victim to a sickcare system based on profit, rather than one of supporting wholeness, compassion and love To see more posts by Blanche Scharf, click here

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.

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