A while back I wrote an email / blog called Telomeres the Big Boss of aging. In it I described what was then the most cutting edge research that showed how telomeres influenced the mitochondrial powerhouses in our cells. The key points where how telomere length influenced the biogenesis (reproduction), mutation rate and actual function of the mitochondrial enzyme pathways. Given my recent immersion in Dr Seyfried’s metabolic theories of cancer this becomes even more important.
If telomeres are indeed the Big Boss of Aging then this is how they may foster cancer when they get shorter. I have always felt that telomere length was absolutely critical and welcomed the Lifelength assay for biologic age and critically short telomeres.
But as with all things in the body I felt that the shift towards aging, infirmity and death was a gradual one. And like Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer the shifts that occur are not all of a sudden nor absolute. Most could be reversed if we could find them early enough.
Perhaps the most wonderful thing is the continued correlation with gradually shortening telomeres and dysfunction. In other words there are warning signs long before the “event” actually happens. You start chewing into your reserves long before clinically relevant illness presents itself.
Up until around 5 years ago there was little you could do except try to change your life style habits. Now there may indeed be an antidote for aging.
Indeed I have extensively documented my own de-aging process for you giving you the same routines and info I have that have so successfully reversed both the appearance of aging and the objective markers.
My recent blog post showing me now versus 6 years ago was testimonial to the appearance part.What a lot of people kinda missed was that you are not supposed to look YOUNGER with age! This was not slowing down the process it was reversing it.
Now these two well known scientists Jerry Shay and Woody Wright, long time collaborators in the telomere field released a piece of science that confirmed my suspicions. I had the great pleasure of interviewing Jerry last year for my newest book (still working on it) and I can tell you he and Dr Wright are true pioneers!
I am going to simplify their findings but you will get the gist of it. The telomere time clock segment can form a loop when it’s long that allows it to influence genetic material that was thought to be “physically too far away” for the telomere to have any impact. Indeed when the telomere shortens and probably well before it gets “short” by our current definitions it loses this ability. The result is some genes that were not turned on are allowed to be “on” and some that should be “on” are turned off.
We have long understood that the expression of certain genes changes with aging rather than changes in the genes themselves being the culprit. Contrary to the somatic mutation theories most cancers, disease and aging are NOT caused by mutations but rather a shift in which genes are on and which are off. This leads to the diseases and phenotype (physical appearance) of aging. Now we know that yet another reason why telomeres play a critical role in either maintaining youth ( long telomeres- young gene patterns) or aging and sickness ( shorter telomeres and “bad gene” expressions).
Even more important is the likelihood that can happen sooner rather than later in terms of telomere length!
This means you should do everything in your power to keep your telomeres as long as possible and SOON. Waiting until it happens is now even a worse idea!
If TA is out of your budget or out of your desire range then have a look at these two critical telomere agents.
Do something! Doing nothing is letting go of your future!
Doc