The Fountain of Youth is Closer Than You Think: New Evidence
Just In: The search for the Fountain of Youth now has the word ‘end’ in sight. How so you may ask?
A research team from the University of California that is now reported in the Lancet Oncology, says it has found the first evidence of what a healthy diet along with exercise and meditation has on the reversal of aging within the cell.
If you have followed my work whether in my writings or speaking, you may know that I often speak of ‘Telomeres’ as the genetic yardstick of our biological age and health. Telomeres are simply protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes. The telomere’s role is to protect our DNA and to prevent the loss of genetic information during cell division. When our DNA is protected, so is the cell, and so are we. This equates to optimal health.
People with the longest Telomeres are the healthiest, most fit, leanest and longest lived people out there.
You can look at telomeres as similar to the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces. When these shoelace tips are cracked and the lace pokes through..protection is lost. This similar protective process happens with our telomeres. Each time the cell divides, the telomere shortens. Telomeres shorten naturally with age and shorten big time with poor lifestyle choices such as a lack of nutrition, a lack of fitness, excessive stress and more. It’s like adding gasoline to an already burning fire. The cell will continue to divide and the telomere will continue to shorten until the cell dies. The key is to keep our cells around for a long time and dividing in a healthy way.
Is this shortening inevitable or something that could be halted or even reversed?
The researchers found that not only can we lengthen our telomeres, we can halt and reverse the shortening process with the right lifestyle changes.
This study took 10 men with prostate cancer who made diligent changes in their lifestyle choices such as diet, fitness and used meditation. The researchers found that their telomere length increased an average of 10%. This is a big deal in terms of telomere length.
In comparison, telomere length shortened by 3% in the 25 men who did not make any lifestyle changes. This study underscores the importance of the benefits of a nutrient dense diet, moving your body and with each day making a focused effort to reduce the stress in your life..no matter what your age or health condition. Choice is the grand master of our life experience and isn’t it great that we have a choice?
To your good health,
~Lori Shemek