The longer those telomere ‘caps’ on the end of a chromosome, all the better for you.
Telomere length shortens with age. Progressive shortening of telomeres leads to senescence, apoptosis, or oncogenic transformation of somatic cells, affecting the health and lifespan of an individual. Shorter telomeres have been associated with increased incidence of diseases and poor survival. The rate of telomere shortening can be either increased or decreased by specific lifestyle factors. Masood A. Shamas, Harvard (Dana Farber) Cancer Institute.
I’m sure a fair number of you have heard of telomeres. These important DNA chromosome caps have repetitive molecular sequences that protect chromosomes. Telomeres have been compared with the plastic tips on shoelaces as they keep chromosome ends from fraying and sticking to each other which could scramble or destroy genetic information in vulnerable cells. Each time a cell divides, its resident telomeres become shorter. Eventually, the telomeres become so short that the cell can no longer divide. These leftover cells either self destruct, or they become senescent cells that may carry on in a dangerous way.
Like the one moldy piece of fruit that corrupts the entire bowl, a relatively small number of senescent cells can persist and spread inflammation that can damage neighboring cells. National Institute on Aging
Dr. Larry Tucker has been a Professor of Exercise Science at Brigham Young University for over 30 years. Leading a healthy lifestyle is one of Prof Tucker’s favorite subjects, and one notable area of his interest involves preserving telomeres. Here’s the results of three of his studies, each of which involve over 5,500 individuals across the U.S.
Tucker Study Number 1: Physical activity and telomere length. The Prof and his colleagues sought to determine “the extent to which physical activity (PA) accounts for differences in leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in a large random sample of U.S. adults.” Based on DNA LTL samples, they were able to match telomere length with PA in their volunteer subjects. The researchers found that people who exercised strenuously on a regular basis (say 4 or 5 times weekly) had longer telomeres than sedentary participants. This was declared a “nine-year biological aging advantage” for the get-up-and-go-getters. Those who exercised in moderation had an estimated two-year advantage. Another Tucker study looked at walking and telomeres, and yes, the more you walk, the healthier the telomeres. Walk 150 minutes per week? Regular walkers were estimated to have a biologic aging advantage associated with 6.5-7.6 years less biologic aging compared to non-walkers
“We all know people who seem younger than their actual age. Exercise can help with that, and now we know that part of that may be because of its effect on our telomeres.” Larry Tucker, PhD
Tucker Study Number 2: Consumption of Nuts and Seeds and Telomere Length. Consumption of nuts and seeds, notes the Prof, is associated decreased all-cause mortality. Was there a relationship between nuts and seeds intake and the length of LTLs? Yes indeed, though not as impressive as the PA influence in study 1. For each 1 percent of total energy acquired by eating nuts and seeds, the telomeres were 5 pairs longer. Adults consuming 5% of their total energy from nuts and seeds added 1.5 years of reduced cell aging. Other studies have found satisfactory health and longevity outcomes in eating 7 walnuts or 49 pistachios each day without looking for telomere length.
"A handful of walnuts contains almost twice as much antioxidants as an equivalent amount of any other commonly consumed nut. But unfortunately, people don't eat a lot of them. Walnuts rank above Brazil nuts, pistachios, pecans, peanuts, almonds, macadamias, cashews and hazelnuts." Prof Joe Vinson, University of Scranton
His advice? Eat those 7 walnuts per day. I do!
Tucker Study Number 3: Dietary Fiber and Telomere Length. Last one in this post (but I know Prof Tucker has more) concludes, no surprise, the more fiber the merrier. Participating U.S. adults on average had low fiber intake, 6.6 grams per 1,000 kcal which is less than one-half the recommendation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. I’ve never heard of that publication! Every additional year of chronological age was associated with telomeres that were 15.5 base pairs shorter. A 10 g increase in fiber intake per 1000 kcal would allow telomeres to sport 83 base pairs more, thus providing 5.4 fewer years of biologic aging. I actually have no idea what the daily fibrous food line-up would be if one ate 10 grams per 1,000 kcal. I’m thinking oats, ground flax seed, hulled hemp seeds, and pomegranate pips by the half cupful will keep my telomeres happy.
Well just one more Tucker finding of note before we call it quits. Milk fat intake was was found to be linearly and inversely related to telomere length. The higher the butter fat content in daily meals, the shorter the telomeres. The mean telomere difference between the extremes of milk fat intake (nonfat vs. full-fat) in this study was 145 base pairs, representing years of additional biological aging for full-fat milk consumers.
What a drag it is getting old on a cellular level. Senescent cells are generally characterized by permanent cell cycle arrest as in no more dividing, no more sporting telomere caps, no fresh new cells, but instead a production of unwanted proteins that damage their non-senescent neighbors. Senolytic-drugs—including fisetin perhaps—can selectively remove senescent cells by inducing their death by apoptosis which, I imagine, is somewhat like bursting a thin-skinned, over-inflated balloon, POP!
I think I'm chock full of bad senescent cells. They start accumulating when you hit age 60, and from there it's kind of an exponential increase. Paul Robbins, PhD
If you’re interested in visitin’ fisetin, check out “Strawberry Fields Forever”, a post from September 27th in the archives of Doc of Ages Pages.
I am all in on the walnuts
I like the image off aglets on my chromosomes