{"id":1308,"date":"2023-02-22T17:52:17","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T17:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=1308"},"modified":"2023-02-22T17:52:17","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T17:52:17","slug":"what-are-telomeres-and-can-they-reduce-aging-and-improve-longevity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=1308","title":{"rendered":"What are Telomeres and Can They Reduce Aging and Improve Longevity?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019ve talked about\u00a0aging\u00a0on the podcast<\/a>\u00a0and how we have some control over how it ultimately goes down. But today I want to talk about telomeres and how they affect aging. Telomeres are an interesting piece of the aging puzzle that shows we have more control over our age (biologically at least!) than we thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Telomeres?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you think back to high school biology class you may remember that our genetic material is arranged on a twisted \u201cladder\u201d of DNA called chromosomes (or a DNA strand). At the end of each chromosome is a little bit of DNA that protects the genetic data and makes it possible for cell division. These telomeres act like caps on the end of the chromosome. The caps are often compared to the tips of the shoelaces. These tips protect the shoelace from fraying much like telomeres protect DNA from \u201cfraying\u201d or becoming mixed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as human cells divide the telomeres get shorter and shorter. When the DNA is replicated, RNA (DNA messengers) attach at slightly different spot, shortening the telomeres. Eventually this makes the cell unable to divide. When this happens it causes cell death or inactivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1933, Barbara McClintock (the first woman to receive an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine) noticed something interesting about DNA. She hypothesized that there were some kind of chromosome ends but kept it stable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1970s other researchers, including Elizabeth Blackburn (who later won a Nobel prize for her work) discovered telomeres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Telomeres Affect the Aging Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Telomeres have an interesting connection to aging. More specifically, how long they are reflects how old the body is biologically. What research found was that short telomeres are linked to aging, cancer, and other diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the largest study to date<\/a> found that shorter than average telomere length was associated with a higher risk of mortality (even after controlling for lifestyle factors that are known to shorten telomere length). Those with the shortest telomeres were 23 percent more likely to die within 3 years. Telomeres shortening is also associated with lowered immune system, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But researchers don\u2019t know for sure if telomere length actually causes aging or if it\u2019s only a sign of aging. In either case though, telomere length is an interesting and telling sign of health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s not just that telomere shortening occurs as we age or that shortened telomeres show that we\u2019re aging faster than other people. What\u2019s really amazing is that telomere length can change. Telomeres can become longer, essentially stopping or reversing premature aging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, aging, and how we age isn\u2019t just a matter of luck or genetics. We have the ability to choose how we age by the way we treat our telomeres. In essence, what the study of telomeres shows us is that what we eat and how we live affect the way our cells renew, for better or worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Telomere Length in Children<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, children have been known to have short telomeres due to some life events that cause stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, research shows that the higher a mom\u2019s prenatal stress, the shorter the baby\u2019s telomeres length is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other early stressors (such as neglect) at home are one of the strongest indicators of shorter telomeres length. This is because these early stressors follow children into adulthood, potentially causing chronic stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of other research on this topic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n