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

July 30, 2014

• Stop weight-related aging in its tracks
• The hidden food danger that makes you grow old
• Getting past the confusion of salt labeling

If you struggle with your weight, I have some pretty important news for you today.

It turns out excess weight, obesity and even belly fat all speed up cellular aging. In particular, those extra pounds cause your telomeres to shorten. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of your chromosomes. And they act as a “genetic clock” when it comes to how fast your body ages.

You see, each time a cell divides, some of the telomere is lost. This can be a real problem, because the more quickly your telomeres shorten, the faster you age.

Shortened telomeres also open the door to a boatload of age-related health conditions. These include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Longer telomeres, on the other hand, are associated with robust health and a longer lifetime.

Why does extra weight affect your telomeres this way?

Like most health problems today, it all goes back to inflammation. If you’re carrying around extra pounds, it places your body in an inflammatory state. This, in turn, causes your telomeres to shorten.

But your weight is only part of the story.

A couple of months ago, researchers put two and two together. And they discovered there’s a mineral – one you consume every day – that critically affects telomere length in people who are overweight.

The mineral I’m talking about is salt, or sodium.

This is something a lot of folks tend to over consume on a regular basis. The current dietary guidelines suggest sticking below 1,500 mg. daily if you’re over 50, diabetic or have high blood pressure. If you don’t fall into any of these groups, the limit is 2,300 mg. daily.

Well, a few curious researchers wondered if too much sodium in our diets might be contributing to telomere loss. And they found out it did!

The researchers used teenagers as their test subjects. They broke them down into two groups: High-sodium intake (4,142 mg. daily) and low-sodium intake (2,388 mg. daily).

Guess what happened?

Kids who were overweight and fell into the high-sodium category had much shorter telomeres than those in the low-sodium group. However, telomere shortening didn’t occur in normal-weight teens that ate a high-sodium diet.

It’s not hard to see what occurred here.

The heavier teens already had chronic inflammation. And the excess salt fanned the flames of that inflammation. That’s because salt has an inflammatory effect on the human body. So it’s sort of like a double-whammy when it comes to your telomeres.

If this combination is making teenagers age faster than they should, just imagine what a lifetime of it might be doing to you. I’d even venture to say that anyone who has inflammation would have the same results, regardless of the underlying cause.

There are two things you can do to halt this deterioration so you don’t grow old before your time…

Before you even think about dropping those extra pounds, it’s important to gain the upper hand on your salt intake.

If you eat packaged foods, this isn’t an easy task. The terms you find on labels can be very confusing. But there’s a big difference between a product labeled “reduced sodium” and one that’s “sodium-free.”

Here’s how the “low/no/reduced” salt labeling work:

• “Salt/sodium-free” means the product contains less than 5 mg. of sodium per serving.
• A product labeled “very low sodium” must have less than 35 mg. of sodium in a serving.
• “Low-sodium” foods must have less than 140 mg. of sodium in each serving.
• A food labeled “reduced sodium” must contain 25 percent less sodium than the original product.

With this in mind, stick with foods in the first two categories. You should also be aware that the bulk of sodium in the American diet comes from soups, breads, sauce-laden pasta dishes, sandwiches, pizza, lunchmeat, cheese, snacks and processed poultry. Unfortunately, most of these foods are also fattening.

That’s why the next step is even more critical. Not only will it cut down on your salt intake; it will also help you lose weight.

I advise all of my patients to stay away from packaged and processed foods. They aren’t just loaded with sodium. They’re also filled with artificial ingredients, sugars, trans fats and other additives that are bad for you and can have a negative impact on telomere length.

Instead, I suggest adopting a Mediterranean-style diet. This goes for everyone. But it’s especially important when it comes to losing weight, fighting off inflammation and stopping telomere shortening.

The Mediterranean way of eating is one of the most healthful on the planet. It emphasizes fresh foods like fish, vegetables, nuts, fruits and certain meats. There’s something for everyone, no matter how picky you are about your food. You can find out more about my recommended Mediterranean diet here.

And be sure to watch your inbox for upcoming issues of Advanced Natural Wellness, where I’ll be telling you about foods and supplements that can not only protect your telomeres, but can possibly lengthen them. Remember: The longer your telomeres are, the longer and healthier your life will be.

Sources:
S García-Calzón, et al. “Longitudinal association of telomere length and obesity indices in an intervention study with a Mediterranean diet: the PREDIMED-NAVARRA trial.” International Journal of Obesity (2014) 38, 177–182.

Haidong Zhu, et al. “Abstract MP64: High Sodium Intake is Associated with Short Leukocyte Telomere Length in Overweight and Obese Adolescents.” Circulation. 2014; 129: AMP64