{"id":30155,"date":"2022-04-04T12:03:04","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T17:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/?p=30155"},"modified":"2022-11-14T13:48:14","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T19:48:14","slug":"longevity-medicine-first-know-your-telomeres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2022\/04\/04\/longevity-medicine-first-know-your-telomeres","title":{"rendered":"Longevity Medicine: First, Know Your Telomeres!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most people figure they must be getting older based on how they feel and look. We wince at our first grey hair, deepening wrinkles, and shifting body fat. We huff and puff climbing the stairs, forget names, and occasionally leak fluids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We relate to the line from a Leonard Cohen song, \u201cI ache in the places where I used to play.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these concerns, there\u2019s very little science behind our educated guesses on aging. Wouldn\u2019t it be helpful to have access to one measurement that would let you know if you\u2019re on the right track to a healthy longevity?  If that measurement turned out to be good news, you could give yourself a pat on the back and keep up all the things you\u2019re doing right. If not so good, how about some professional guidance to reverse a chilling trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve written in the past<\/a> about telomeres, the word derived from the Greek telos <\/em>(end) and mere <\/em>(part). Telomeres are essential components of every living cell and affect how we age. They are the caps at the end of each strand of our chromosomal chains of DNA, protecting the chromosome much like the plastic tip of a shoelace keeps the lace from fraying and less able to do its job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s do a little math. Each of your cells has 46 chromosomes, and with a telomere at each chromosomal end that means you have 92 telomeres in every cell. With 15 trillion cells in your body, you have 15 trillion x 92 telomeres. In other words, many!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numbers like these offer us a better idea of the importance of telomeres, which shorten as we age. In the process, DNA chromosomal reproduction becomes less efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This deterioration on a cellular level manifests as everything you know about getting old, from gray hair to creaky joints, from hearing loss to libido as distant memory. People whose telomeres are measurably shorter than normal for their age group are more prone to chronic illnesses of all kinds and generally decline into an earlier death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two reasons for shortened telomeres<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are two primary reasons for prematurely shortened telomeres: genetics and lifestyle choices. However\u2014and this is very important\u2014patients genetically at risk for chronic illness due to shortened telomeres can dramatically reduce those risks with a shift in their lifestyle choices<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, under genetic dominance and with the simple passage of time, telomeres will shorten as we age, but they can also be shortened by stress, smoking, too much alcohol, obesity, lack of exercise, and a poor diet. Eventually, telomeres get too short to do their job and stop functioning properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of telomeres as the aging clock of every cell in your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists and physicians around the world agree that telomere length is a predictive value for wellness. Unfortunately, insurance companies are less than delighted when asked to pay for anything preventive and have yet to cover telomere tests as a benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, as demand for telomere measurement has grown and techniques improved, prices have dropped dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slow aging, track your results<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a five-step program to slow aging and see your results<\/p>\n\n\n\n