Longevity Starts With Telomeres: Protect Your Telomeres, Protect Your Genes

Biological Age vs Chronological Age

The primary cause of disease is aging. As you age, your telomeres – the protective tips at the end of your chromosomes – shorten. Emerging data on telomeres, based on the 2009 Nobel Prize-winning research, has found that telomere length is the key marker of biological age – a snapshot of how well – or poorly – your body is aging.

Short telomeres are linked to aging and disease. As you age, your telomeres gradually wear down, losing length. Telomeres that are worn down or fragmented are unable to protect the integrity of your DNA. As a result, your cells cannot regenerate properly, opening the door to disease.

The length of your telomeres is dependent upon 3 factors: your genetics, your environment, and your lifestyle. Although it is well-known that your lifestyle plays a major role in how you age, the ground-breaking research on telomeres shows on a cellular level the powerful impact that lifestyle has on the aging process – for better or for worse.

You can live healthier longer. By tending to your telomeres through healthy lifestyle changes, you can prolong your health span. A diet rich in whole foods modeled after the Mediterranean diet, regular exercise, high quality sleep, and effective management of stress, including meditation and mindfulness, can not only stop your telomeres from shortening, but can actually lengthen them; thereby delaying your entry into the disease span that comes with the aging process.

Telomere Testing: What do your telomeres say about your lifestyle? Now you can find out just how healthy your current lifestyle is through telomere testing. Life Length’s Telomere Analysis Technology measures your percentage of short telomeres individually cell by cell. This information will help to guide the diet and lifestyle interventions you need to slow your rate of aging and reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases.

Interested in living healthier longer? Dr. Sarah Williams and Elisabeth Senkler, Certified Health Coach, will work with you to create your individual road map to wellness and longevity. Please contact us for more information.

References

Personal Lifestyle Medicine Institute. Telomere’s Likes & Dislikes, Health Is Personal: PLMI News and Links for September 2018

Shammas MA. Telomeres, Lifestyle, Cancer, & Aging. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2011 January ; 14(1): 28–34.

www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/29/telomere-effect-elizabeth-blackburn-nobel-prize-medicine-chromosomes

www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2009

The contents of this blog are intended for educational purposes only. The information presented here is not a substitute for proper medical attention, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider before starting or making any changes to an existing treatment plan, exercise program or dietary regimen and before using nutritional supplements.