Lengthen Your Telomeres, Lengthen Your Lifespan

Telomeres are all the rage in the anti-ageing community and for good reason. According to longevity researchers, telomeres may be the antidote to prolonging lifespan and warding off diseases well into old age. This means the chance to live a longer, healthier life is well within reach.

Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of chromosomes that form repetitive sequences of bases to protect the chromosomes from damage. They play an integral role in genetic coding by protecting the chromosomes from damaging or sticking together every time a cell undergoes DNA replication. Without them, DNA would be lost every time a cell divides, leading to the eventual loss of entire genes. Think of them as the plastic tips at the end of your shoelace. Without the plastic tips, there is nothing to stop the shoelaces from unravelling.

Over time, however, these tips start to show signs of wear and tear and begin to degrade, causing the shoelace to fray and unravel. Much like shoelaces, telomeres can become too short, triggering cells to die, a process known as apoptosis.

According to researchers, the length of your telomeres can be manipulated through a variety of lifestyle and dietary interventions.

Your Thoughts Shape Your Telomeres

Chronic stress is a huge contributor to shortened telomeres, however, researchers have found that just modifying your thoughts around your stressor can change the way your telomeres respond.

You can lengthen your telomeres by thinking of your stress in a positive light, such as thinking “this is good stress, it’s helping me get closer to my goal”. By switching your mindset, the body starts to relax, heart rate drops back down and breathing returns to normal.

Break a Sweat

The more you exercise the less time you’ll spend in a state of oxidative stress (which promotes cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and a whole range of debilitating diseases). While it’s true that exercise promotes the production of free radicals, the same process forces the body to up the level of antioxidants as a counter-response. In the long run, exercise is replenishing telomerase and protecting your telomeres from degrading.

But is all exercise the same? Aerobic exercise, such as HIIT, was found to have a much more profound effect compared to resistance training.

Fuel Your Cells With Nutrient-Dense Foods

Foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds are protective to telomeres. Not only that, these foods can increase your lifespan by reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory markers.

Omega-3 fatty acids, in particular, have been demonstrated to reduce telomere shortening by 32 per cent over five years. Foods rich in omega-3’s include seaweed, chia seeds, walnuts and flaxseeds.

While telomeres are a breakthrough in the field of anti-ageing, they’re just one piece of the puzzle. I’ll be discussing other theories and methods of anti-ageing in future articles. Subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know about new articles and healthy recipes to support you on your wellness journey.