Telomere attrition is a well-recognized hallmark of aging. Catch up on this here. My newsletter will explore this attrition in simple, easy-to-understand terms and suggest ways you might slow this degenerative process.
In simple terms, telomeres are caps on the ends of chromosomes, much like the bindings on the end of a rope, that keep it from fraying and unraveling from its end up. But telomeres do a lot more than act as a cap. Microscopically, they are little pieces of DNA-like structures that renew the spent or damaged DNA in their “rope.”
Unfortunately, Each time this renewal is initiated, a tiny bit of the telomere is used up and cannot (as of now) be replaced. Eventually, the telomere is gone, and the DNA support it provides is also gone. This unavoidable attrition then acts as an agent for aging (deterioration) and as such, is called a hallmark of aging.
Ok, that was oversimplified, but for our purposes, it will do. If you want to look deeper into the issue, here’s an article that will give you more information.
Telomere Attrition:
You could say that telomeres keep things together by monitoring the replication of new DNA in new cells.
Telomeres oversee the highly complex process of mitosis.
Telomeres are generals on a battlefield where millions of individuals and other “things” interact simultaneously.
Now, it takes a little piece of the telomere’s essence each time this happens. This loss is not replaceable and eventually, the telomere is simply gone. This is a simple man’s explanation of what is anything but a simple process.
Neither is mitosis:
Mitosis is the creation of two cells from one. The cells and everything in them are precisely the same, like identical twins. Notably, the chromosomes in each “daughter” cell are identical, thanks primarily to their parent’s telomeres.
The parents’ telomeres give up a little of themselves during this process. Now, mitosis goes on constantly. Tissue is dynamic. Cells get “born” while others “die.” You can see that we eventually use up our telomeres by using this renewal model.
So, while not the only telomere user, mitosis (cell replacement and growth) goes through telomeres like autos go through gasoline – eventually, the tank runs dry. Mitosis is very complex and goes through four stages. If you are interested in this phenomenon read more about it here.
Attrition:
The gradual loss of the ability to replace lost and damaged cells (senescent cells). This doesn’t happen all at once. It happens slowly over many years. This is the essence of aging. Yes, there’s more to it than that, but you can see the obvious relationship between aging and telomere attrition.
Simply stated, each cell in your body (except some of those involved in reproduction) has a finite number of divisions before it dies or fails to replicate. This is the basis of the Hayflick limit (or phenomena).
Until scientific exploration yields a way to renew telomeres, we are stuck with never-ending and inexorable telomere attrition. So what can we do to ameliorate this situation?
Slowing down Telomeronic Attrition.
Since telomere attrition is a normal and healthy part of life, we can’t stop it, and maybe we never will. We can, however, slow it down by altering our lifestyles. We know that eighty percent or more of rapid aging is lifestyle-related.
This is good news because we can do something about our lifestyles, slowing or speeding up our telomere attrition rate. This gives us a choice.
Smoking, for example, promotes the shortening of telomeres. Now, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Excessive alcohol use also shortens telomeres. On the other hand, resistance and aerobic exercise can slow telomere attrition and possibly stop it. Poor sleeping habits also contribute to shorter telomere length.
As to diet and weight gain, overweight and obese people have high rates of inflammation and oxidative stress. This leads to telomere shrinkage (attrition). So, eating a proper and balanced diet, and controlling one’s weight will lessen inflammation and oxidative stress.
About diets:
Good food is a gift from nature and is available to all my subscribers.
Too often, however, we turn to fast food and junk like colas, potato chips, and dips.
There is probably nothing better for your telomeres than good, healthy meals like the ones in this picture.
Overweight and obese adults (and sometimes children) describe the majority of US citizens and likely the citizens of most Western countries. This is primarily the effect of poor diets and the over-consumption of junk food.
I have written about this and the set-point theory of weight loss. Weight loss is not easy, but it is quite possible. It’s all about diet management. One of the problems with diets is that there is so much misinformation about them. There are dozens of diet plans, all claiming to be the best.
Obviously, this can’t be true. There is, however, an accurate menu-building tool called Chronometer. This diet design tool helps you build balanced meals while giving you all their nutritional value, including calories. I use this tool myself, and so do many professionals.
The best thing about Chronometer is that it’s free, and you can do a lot with the free version. If you want to dig deeper into menu building or evaluate fast food meals, there is an advanced version for a very reasonable amount.
Ok, enough on diets. What about supplements?
Here is an excellent article on supplements and telomere protection. Supplementation is a lengthy subject I will not go into here but will later in my Telomere Attrition series. For now, my Beginning Supplement Triad will get you started on the road to telomere maintenance.
My beginner supplement recommendations include vitamins C, E, and D. These supplements are foundational and known to protect telomeres.
Also, there are many supplements coming and going, and I publish Bulletins when something promising comes along. It is best, however, to start with a solid foundation. I have published three supplement Triads, and if you decide to follow them, start with number one, the Beginner Triad.
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Keep your telomeres:
You only get so many of them; when they’re gone, they’re gone.
Some day, aging researchers will conquer the telomere challenge. For now, however, we need to preserve what we’ve got. We’re not helpless in this. In fact, we have choices.
It’s really about lifestyle, diet, and exercise. Planned supplementation is essential as well. My Hallmarks of Aging series explains what’s making you older, and my PLANNED LONGEVITY™ series tells you how to manage these hallmarks effectively.
All you need to do is leave me your email address, and I’ll keep you informed.
OMY1
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