WHAT ARE TELOMERES?

Never heard of telomeres before? That's ok, most of us haven't The simplest way to describe telomeres is the shoelace analogy: telomeres are similar to the caps at the end of a shoelace. Its primary function is to protect the DNA within your 23 pairs of chromosomes. It prevents one end of a chromosome from fusing into another chromosome.

HOW DO TELOMERES AFFECT AGING?

Telomeres naturally shorten as you age. This is because telomeres get shorter every time a cell divides. Once a cell gets to the point when its telomeres get so short and can no longer divide, it stops replicating altogether and enters into a state called senescence. Cells that reach this state are considered old, dying cells. Cells within shorter telomere length as well as cells that become damaged due to aging may cause an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

Increasing Telomerase Activity is Key to Slowing Down Effects of Aging

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN TELOMERE LENGTH AND TELOMERASE

Telomerase is an enzyme that activates the growth of telomeres and extends the lifespan of a cell. This enzyme is what helps cells repair and maintain telomere length as they divide. With an increase understanding of what this enzyme looks like, supplements and drugs can one day be designed to increase telomerase activity. If targeted telomerase activity can be increased with the help of drugs or nutritional supplements, then it'll eventually be possible to drastically lower the occurrence of age-related disease and ailments.

There's still a lot of work to be done to design drugs that can target activating telomerase activity in specific cells. Significant progress appears to be on the horizon thanks to recent high-resolution photos of telomerase, which helps researchers identify parts of telomerase they could target with drugs.

NATURAL WAYS TO MAINTAIN TELOMERE LENGTH

Believe it or not, the way you live your life has a direct impact on how you age. By adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can improve how good you feel today and how good you'll feel as you get older.

We've put together a list of the top 3 natural ways that are scientifically proven to maintain healthy telomere length. Check them out below:

1. Eat a Healthy Balanced Diet  

You might want to consider trying the Mediterranean Diet. One study called the Nurses' Health Study concluded that the Mediterranean Diet was associated with longer telomere length. The Mediterranean Diet is considered effective because of its impact on oxidative stress levels in your body. Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance of free radicals in your body. They can cause damage to your fatty tissue, DNA and proteins. Over time, this damage can lead to many different diseases. The Mediterranean Diet was found to be effective in protecting your DNA (and protecting the health of your telomeres) from oxidative stress because it offers foods rich in antioxidants which keep free radicals from overpopulating your body.

According to Elissa Epel, co-author of a study exploring the link between diet and telomere length, any diet that is rich in antioxidants creates a biochemical environment favorable to telomeres. The four diets reviewed in the study were the Mediterranean Diet (mentioned above), the DASh diet, the Healthy Eating Index and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index. Each diet emphasizes eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based proteins.

2. Supplement Your Diet

Research shows that certain supplements can help lengthen your telomeres. When LifePharm launched 8 years ago, LAMININE was the very first nutritional supplement offered to consumers. Dr. Rafael Gonzalez and his team at the DaVinci Biosciences labs in Loma Linda, California conducted studies to determine the benefits and effectiveness of LAMININE. The 90-day study revealed that LAMININE supports telomerase activity and can lengthen your telomere length. It's important to note that the subjects who took LAMININE did not change their diets or lifestyle habits, but still showed evidence of telomere lengthening. LAMININE's ingredients include Fertilized Avian Egg Extract, marine proteins and phyto proteins. The protein bio-factors such as FGF-2 can only be found in the egg extract used in this supplement. It's the primary ingredient credited with supporting healthy cell development.  

3. Exercise Regularly

It's universally accepted that exercise is good for your health. It helps reduce stress, improves rest, helps you maintain a healthy weight and can help maintain healthy telomere length. According to findings from a study conducted by NHANES (the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), adults who exercised regularly had a benefit of 9 years less cellular aging than those who had moderate to low exercise. They concluded it was clear adults who had high levels of physical activity had longer telomeres than those who didn't exercise very much, if at all.