TELOMERES

TELOMERES

A popular buzzword in the anti-aging community, telomeres are an essential part of our DNA that affects how we age.

What Are Telomeres?

The caps at the end of each DNA strand, telomeres protect our chromosomes. Think of them like the flugalbinders (plastic tips) at the end of your shoelaces. Without these tips, your shoelaces fray and can no longer efficiently lace your shoes. The same is true with the telomeres, if the DNA strands are damaged, the cells cannot work as effectively to do their job.

Telomeres shorten as we get older, demonstrated by the effects of aging. If you’re aging prematurely it’s worth checking your telomere length as an assessment for your cell health. Shorter telomeres have a negative effect on our health.

What Can Happen with Shortened Telomeres?

Telomere shortening is the main cause of the age-related breakdown of our cells, resulting in a negative effect on our health. When our telomeres get too short, our cells can no longer reproduce, which cause our tissues to degenerate and eventually die. This can result in the following:

• Acceleration of aging by abnormal or low-level stem cells
•  Cardiovascular disease
• Infertility
• Age-related brain disease such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or dementia.
•  Diabetes
• Higher risk of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis
• Immune system weakness
•  Slow-down of disease recovery and rejuvenation
•  A 3-fold increase in mortality rate of heart disease
•  An 8-fold higher mortality from infectious diseases
• Higher risk of cancer