-
What are your telomeres telling you?
Have you heard about telomeres? Did you know your body is full of them?
Well, telomeres were first identified by scientists in the mid 1970s. The 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine was awarded to three researchers who made significant discoveries about the functioning of telomeres.
That's nice but why should you care? Let's recap biology 101. Our bodies are made of of cells. In the nucleus of each cell are 23 pairs of chromosomes that contain DNA molecules that store our genetic code. At the end of each chromosome sit the telomeres which act as protective caps.
When cells replicate the DNA has to unwind to make a copy of itself. Research has shown that as cells divide repeatedly over time the telomeres get shorter and shorter. As the telomeres get shorter the chances of increase that damage to the DNA will occur.
This has led scientists to theorize that telomere fatigue may play a part in degenerative diseases such as cancer. So what can we do to help keep our telomeres healthy and happy?
There is good news. It appears that telomoreres do not automatically wear out but are influenced by our lifestyle.
Telomeres are susceptible to inflammation in the body and free radical damage. Chinese medicine has a common sense approach to this problem which is to eat a healthy diet, get moderate exercise and sufficient rest.
This approach has been confirmed by research done by Dr. Dean Ornish. You may remember his name from his work demonstrating that heart disease can not only be stopped, but reversed by means of a vegetarian diet along with meditation and yoga. These same lifestyle changes have recently been shown to enhance the length of telomeres as well.
Other research has shown that the Chinese herb astragalus contains substances that enhance telomere function.
You can either pay $14,000 a year for pharmaceutical astragalus extract—or you can use astragalus like the Chinese have for centuries, for pennies a day. Astragalus has been used traditionally as a tonic to promote health and longevity.
So now we know what our telomeres are telling us. If we want to live long and be happy we need to help our telomeres stay long and healthy. Salud!
© 2012 Larry Forsberg. All rights reserved.
Articles posted on this Web site are for personal use only and remain the property of Larry Forsberg, L.Ac.
Back to Article Topics
