At the end of each chromosome is a cap called a telomere which keeps DNA from fraying. As we age telomeres get shorter which causes biological aging and age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and cancer. I was shocked when I read that forensic scientists can actually look at DNA under a microscope to determine how old someone is based on telomere length.
Did you know cigarette smoking accelerates the rate of telomere loss threefold? Did you know that diets high in antioxidant rich foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and spices are associated with longer protective telomeres? Did you know that diets high in refined grains (white flour, white rice and white bread), processed foods, meat, sweets and soda are linked with shortened telomeres? This has been scientifically studied. In fact, endorsing a healthy lifestyle causes telomeres to shrink less and actually grow more. This suggests it really is possible to reverse aging. Heck I’d be happy with just slowing things down a bit. So we do have control over how quickly we age and it’s never too late to get started!
