All in the Telomeres

Why it’s all about the telomeres…

Telomeres are tiny caps on the ends of our chromosomes that help protect our DNA from damage. These telomeres shrink as we age, leading to cell death, disease, and the whole aging process as seen from the outside (or in our mirror!)  

Eventually, telomeres lose the overall game of protecting our DNA and our bodies stop living. So, you can imagine much research is being done on how we can alter any activity, diet, and environmental factor to lengthen or preserve these telomeres over time, and how to preserve ourselves!

Two major concepts it is important to understand:

Aerobic activity leads to longer telomeres

Aerobic activity has been known to be great for our hearts, and lower risks for heart attacks and stroke.

New research shows that after just six months of aerobic activity, those who got their heart rate up 3 times a week for 45 minutes had longer telomeres than those who did not take up exercise.

This particular study I found intriguing because it was done in middle aged patients who had never exercised before. So, the group who took up aerobic exercise for the first time after 50 or so years of living, showed a lengthening of their telomeres after just 6 months of the exercise routine.

Bottom line—it’s never too late to start moving.

Taking in less calories leads to longer telomeres

Remember how helpful those telomere caps are in protecting damage to our precious cells?  Well, those telomeres react and adjust to all of the work our cells need to do to break down the food we take in.

More calories lead to more work and shorter telomeres, period. It doesn’t matter if your calories come from nutritious, whole non-GMO low carb sources, or if they come from a steady diet of Swedish Fish and Coke Zero. Fewer calories = longer cell life.

Several studies have backed up the hypothesis that less caloric intake is protective. And while it is tough to prove this cause and effect relationship, the data overwhelmingly points to longer cell life with restricted caloric intake.

Getting back to basics…

The fad diets will keep coming and going, just as the research on vitamins and supplements will always be around. Yet when it comes to our overall health and mortality, the most important concept to understand lies in the basics of move more, eat less.