Telomeres, health, diet, lifestyle and ageing.

This is "Methuselah", a 4,800 year old bristlecone pine growing in the White Mountains of California. There is an enzyme in the roots of bristlecone pines that actually rebuilds telomeres (think of telomeres as a protective cap on the ends of chromosomes that shorten every time cells divide) called "telomerase", researches have discovered that this enzyme also exists in human cells and when it is isolated and dropped onto human cells in a Petrie dish, they become immortal! Interestingly, DNA taken from your bloodstream can be used to estimate your age based on telomere length alone and increasing the length of telomeres reverses cellular ageing.

According to plant-based integrative physician, Dr. Michael Greger, MD:

"The consumption of fruits, vegetables and other antioxidant rich foods have been associated with protecting telomeres. In contrast, the consumption of refined grains, fizzy drinks, meat and dairy has been linked to shortened telomeres."(1)

Other healthy lifestyle changes such as exercise (particularly weightlifting), stress reduction (including mindfulness and good social support networks) also strengthen telomeres, as seen in a 5 year follow-up on an interventional study by Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, which showed healthy lifestyle changes not only slow down the rate at which telomeres shrink, but actually boost telomerase activity and increase telomere length.

While the pilot study showed promising results, it was small and there were so many changes made that it makes it difficult to be certain of what worked and what didn't.

What about the Observational Studies?

I've studied nutrition long enough to know that it's very important to always take the observational studies and their conclusions with a grain of salt. For example, finding an association between fruit and vegetable intake and health does not necessarily imply causation; it might just mean that people who eat more plants tend to lead healthier lives, or are perhaps wealthier and have less stress, or less likely to smoke. On the other hand; people that consume more meat, dairy and processed foods are more likely to eat junk foods, less likely to exercise- you get the idea. Some researchers attempt to control for these factors, this tends to be imprecise and it's almost impossible to draw solid conclusions from observational studies (as much as some groups like to when it suits their agenda).

So what's the takeaway then?

I think most experts would agree that there is pretty solid evidence to support the following:

1. Diet - limiting processed / refined food and basing diet on whole, plant foods.
2. Exercise - daily and resistance training at least twice a week.
3. Stress management - yoga, breathing exercises etc
4. Social support - having solid relationships and social support networks

That's the basics, there are plenty of other important aspects that can effect health including but not limited to: body-fat levels, smoking and drug/pharmaceutical use, wealth/status/career, genetics/nutri-genetics/epigenetics.

Most importantly, we should never ignore the gut, as the "second brain" it produces most of our serotonin and when it is distressed, our whole body is distressed (maybe why we see a link between stress and health). For some people, the most important change they can make to their health is removing foods that are triggering inflammation.

(1) "How Not to Die" by Michael Greger, MD
(Photo: Rick Goldwasser)

About me

This is my first Steemit post, but I hope to be able to expand on many health related issues in the future. As well as health, I have interests in investing (mainly stocks but also crypto) and self-development and related topics. I welcome any feedback and thank the community and developers for having me.