Why is Co Q so important for your telomeres?
We got this question through our book site. The answer, of course, is in the book reference section, but I have long ago given up on people doing anything more than wanting us to do all the work for them! “In your book, under ‘why is Co Q10 so important,’ you state, ‘some studies that
My Favorite Telomere Scientist
I know a lot of amazing people in the telomere field. I have been honored to meet, speak and learn from all of them. But my favorite, as you may already know, is a young lady named Maria Blasco. I like Maria best for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which is she
My feelings about salivary telomere testing
I published this in response to a blog touting the benefits of salivary testing from a company called TeloMe. I will use the same phrase I did when comparing the efficacy of other telomerase activators to TA-65. It went like this, “How much will people spend on something worthless to “save money”? Answer: About a
The cancer doctors were wrong about telomerase activators and antioxidants!
I can’t tell you how many times I heard this from cancer doctors (oncologists): “Don’t give my patients antioxidants; you’ll blunt the effect of the chemo and help the cancer!” I always found it ironic that, before the cancer occurred and after they had done whatever they did, which in many cases did not save
Fish Oil and High Blood Pressure
You know, it’s funny. You can always tell when something has truly become popular because it begins to inspire negative comments. People are so “in need “of something different that what used to be exciting, positive information is no longer read or paid attention to. Instead, only the negative press gets attention. That is how
New Study on Telomeres Answers some Huge Questions
A couple of questions have been nagging at those of us who study telomeres and telomerase closely. The first is – what is the correlation, if any, between tissue types? Typically we measure telomere length in the granulocyte line of White Blood Cells. These cells are typically responsible for fighting off viral infections and the
How to use a Telomerase Supplement
As one of the “original cast and crew” using TA-65, I get a lot of questions about how to specifically use the product. Here is a breakdown with special attention paid to age at the time of starting TA-65: 250 units (1 capsule daily) is efficacious for healthy adults in their 40′s or 50′s. Also,
Natural Telomerase Activators
This past week, Geron just announced a successful test of a telomerase activator in mice. The goal of this activator is to reverse lung damage caused by a telomere dependent disease known as IPF, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The word idiopathic does not mean the doctors are idiots and can’t figure it out; it means “cause
Short telomeres are associated with decreased cancer survival
At the end of 2010, one of my least favorite journals, JAMA, published a very important and surprisingly forward-thinking (for them) article on telomere length and cancer. The study was a large Meta-analysis of telomere length and the likelihood of getting cancer. People were divided into “quartiles” according to telomere length. Basically, this means there
New Stem Cell Activating Anti-aging Serums Offer Hope for Damaged Skin
The following is a press release that got generated from a radio interview I did on RG-Cell. That product is in stock now and ready to ship. Like I said when we initially released it, there is nothing like it out there! Damaged and aging skin can now be repaired and rejuvenated, due to new
Yet another study connects human lifespan with telomere length
Scientists are by nature skeptics. Usually it takes more than one positive result and one positive study to convince them. There is no set number of studies you need to do to sway scientific opinion and quiet naysayers. More often than not, it depends as much on opinion and bias of the so-called scientific community.
Aging fat as a cause for diabetes – the role of short telomeres
Over the past couple of days, I have dug pretty deep into the metabolic associations between obesity, diabetes, and short telomeres. The end result is of course, accelerated aging. But, more and more I have to tell you, I think aging is the real cause, or at least a major contributing factor to many of
When therapy is mistaken for normal
In the last blog I delved into some associations between the biologic time clocks we call Telomeres, sugar control and obesity. The net summary of that blog is that the body has only so many responses to insults like high blood sugar and obesity, and those responses can wind up looking pretty much the same
Telomere Length and Metabolic Obesity in Skinny People
I read an interesting article recently. Without going into all the gory scientific details, the gist of the article was as follows: even lean diabetics may have the same metabolic profile and telomere length shortening as non-diabetic obese people, if those lean diabetics have poor sugar control. What is the big deal? Well, it means
Chasing the wrong rabbit – why cholesterol levels are just a distraction
There is a 30 billion dollar industry supporting the use of statins for both primary prevention and secondary prevention (after the fact) of heart attacks. Similarly, hundreds of millions in studies have been spent to “justify the use of statins”. The JUPITER study is the most recent. I have already commented on my expectation that
Telomeres and Your Heart
Warning: this blog is not just regurgitation or rewording of a press release from somewhere else. It contains original content and original commentary. Since February is National Heart Health Month, I thought I would update you on some recent advances in how telomere length interacts with the health of your heart. Telomeres and the heart
Colds and Chromosomes – how telomere length affects cold symptoms
Have you ever heard someone tell you, “I am sick all winter”, or “I am always sick”? Barring allergies, this could actually be a symptom of short telomeres and a weak immune system. Can one exist without the other? Well, the immune system is a complex interaction between all kinds of cells that “present” pathogens
Telomeres and Drugs and Big Pharma
Heart disease has one of the longest standing associations with short telomeres. Recently a similar association was established for strokes (thrombotic ((clot) and hemorrhagic (bleeding)). The limitations of these studies in terms of direct correlation are that they are not using modern technology to determine the shortest telomere lengths or percentage. They are still using
Telomerase magic
If you study the biologic time clocks in the cell, known as telomeres, and you study the enzyme that lengthens them, telomerase, you are truly learning about magic. Here are a couple of amazing things I have learned: 1) Telomeres are intimately involved with just about every longevity and health pathway known to science. 2)
Is Aging Unstoppable – Baby steps come first!
Arguments continue among the best and brightest scientists concerning the question: Is aging unstoppable. If you think about it, that question has already been answered in a functional way. There are several mammalian cell lines that have been made “immortal” simply by turning on telomerase and expressing it at a higher level than normal. Most
Old Dad versus Young Dad – who should father children?!
Ah yes, the more we know, the more we don’t know! In this country and other Western nations there seems to be an increasing trend for men to father children later in life. Now if you think about it, this is a little bit like the obesity epidemic! For both things it’s the very first