By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

June 12, 2013

• Why do some people age faster than others?
• The ticking time bomb in your DNA
• Stop biological aging in its tracks

Today one of my patients stopped in for her regular check-up. She’s 74-years old and one of the sweetest women you could ever meet.

Using her walker, she slowly made her way down the corridor to the exam room. And it took all of her strength to boost herself up onto the exam table.

Once she situated herself she was out of breath and became worried because her heart felt like it was racing against her chest.

“Sure,” you might say. “People get old and lose their ability to get around. It becomes a chore and takes a toll on our energy levels.”

Well, that’s not entirely true. And you’ll see that when I tell you the surprising twist to this story.

During the entire visit, my patient’s older sister helped her every step of the way.

Big Sis’ drove her younger sibling to my office… held her elbow as she navigated the hall… supported her as she stepped onto the scale… and gave her a helpful assist onto the examination table.

And when it came to discussing lifestyle changes, medications and other therapies, the older sister became very animated while her younger sister sat in silence.

What I find most amazing about this encounter is that the older sister is 86-years old. But her physical age appears to be somewhere around 65.

In the meantime, her “younger” sister seems to be much, MUCH older. I would giver her a biological age of about 90, even though she is only 74 in chronological years.

Things like this always make me ask the same question people have been asking for centuries…

“Why do some people age faster than others?”

Today we may have the answer…

Several years ago Danish researchers followed 387 pairs of twins for 10 years. They wanted to learn more about the aging process. And they made an astonishing discovery.

Twins who looked and felt younger than their age had much better health outcomes than their older-looking counterparts. Not only did they feel better… they also lived longer.

And there was a really good reason for it.

The twins who looked older, felt older and died earlier had shorter “telomeres.”

If you haven’t heard about telomeres before, don’t worry. They are relatively new to the scientific community.

But they are a hot topic – and a very exciting breakthrough in the world of anti-aging.

Telomeres are strands of DNA found at the ends of your chromosomes. These stretches of DNA make it possible for your cells to divide and replicate. They also preserve your genetic code.

Today, many scientists believe telomeres hold the key to warding off age-related disease and slowing down the aging process. And based on recent research, I believe scientists are on the right track.

You see, the speed with which telomeres wear down is a measure of “biological aging.” It’s like a ticking time bomb… The quicker they run down, the older and unhealthier you become.

Shortened telomere length is associated with a host of aging-related diseases, including…

• Cardiovascular disease
• Dementia
• Obesity and insulin resistance
• Chronic inflammation
• Emphysema
• More frequent colds and upper respiratory infections
• Pancreatic cancer
• Colon cancer
• Multiple sclerosis
• Celiac disease

And the big thing to remember is; the shorter your telomeres become, the greater your risk of death, even after accounting for other lifestyle factors.

Ultimately, the longer your telomeres, the younger and more disease-free you will remain – throughout your ENTIRE lifetime!

Now let me show you what you can do to extend the length of them…
As you might guess, the race is on to find ways keep our telomeres longer as we age. And I’m entirely on-board with anything we can do to stop biological aging in its tracks.

Surprisingly, none of it is hard. Just take a look at how easily you can turn back the hands of time.

Get plenty of sleep. Sleeping less than 5 hours a night is associated with shortened telomeres. However those who get more than 7 hours of sleep each night have longer telomeres. Establish a regular sleep cycle by shutting down the lights, computer, cell phone and TV at the same time every night. If you need a little help falling – and staying – asleep, try 600 mg valerian and 1 mg of melatonin.

Take your Omega-3 fish oil supplement. When researchers gave 100 overweight middle-aged and older adults a cold water fish oil supplement it not only slowed down telomere shortening but, on average, lengthened them. And all it took was four months. Look for a supplement made from cold-water fish that contains at least 360 mg. of DHA and 540 mg. of EPA.

Reduce your stress levels. The more stressed out you are, the shorter your telomeres may become. So it’s important to make some time for yourself and find outlets for your stress. Establish some “alone time” to relax on your own terms. Many of my patients find activities like yoga, meditation and acupuncture can work wonders when it comes to soothing their stress. I especially like programs like yoga and tai chi that support “inner calmness” while providing stress-relieving physical exercises.

Don’t forget your multi-vitamin. Women who take a daily multivitamin have, on average, telomeres that are 5.1% longer than non-users. Higher vitamin E and C intake is also associated with longer telomeres. Look for a full-spectrum formula with plenty of antioxidants – which can also help preserve and lengthen your telomeres.

Remember to exercise daily. Both aerobic and high-intensity exercise help extend your telomeres. I suggest starting out by walking each day and adding a few 30 to 60 second bursts of intensity every now and then. Just kick it up into a brisk walk, jog or run a few times during your walk. If you’re bicycling, take a few moments to pedal as hard as you can. Dancing? Get crazy with the music every now and then with some of your favorite moves.

Just these few, minor changes can set you on the path to longer telomeres, better health and an extended life.

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Resources:
Kaare Christensen, et al. Perceived age as clinically useful biomarker of ageing: cohort study, BMJ 2009;339:b5262.

Kimura M, et al. Telomere length and mortality: a study of leukocytes in elderly Danish twins. Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Apr 1;167(7):799-806.

Halcyon G. Skinner, et al. Telomere Length and Pancreatic Cancer: A Case–Control Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, October 23, 2012.

J. K. Alder, et al. N. Telomere Length is a Determinant of Emphysema Susceptibility. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2011.

Cohen S, et al. Association between telomere length and experimentally induced upper respiratory viral infection in healthy adults. JAMA. 2013 Feb 20;309(7):699-705.

University of Leicester (2013, March 27). Link between faster ‘biological’ aging and risk of developing age-related diseases. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2013/03/130327133339.htm.

Jackowska M, et al. Short sleep duration is associated with shorter telomere length in healthy men: findings from the Whitehall II cohort study. PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e47292.

Epel ES, et al. Accelerated telomere shortening in response to life stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Dec 7;101(49):17312-5. Epub 2004 Dec 1.

Kiecolt-Glaser JK, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids, oxidative stress, and leukocyte telomere length: A randomized controlled trial. Brain Behav Immun. 2012 Sep 23. pii: S0889-1591(12)00431-X. [Epub ahead of print].

Xu Q, et al. Multivitamin use and telomere length in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun;89(6):1857-63. Epub 2009 Mar 11.