Our understanding of how our cells age, and how we can protect our cells from aging, is expanding at an amazingly quick pace. Several decades ago, scientists discovered telomeres. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes that are similar to the plastic caps at the end of a shoelace. As the plastic ends shred, and the shoelace becomes frayed and damaged, so too the shortening of our telomeres can leave our cells vulnerable to damage.
Telomeres are considered an index of cell age and are like a clock of the cell’s lifespan. Telomere shortening means the cell’s lifespan is shortening. Recent research shows that telomere shortening plays an important role in human disease and mortality. More than 20 studies have shown associations between shorter telomere length and various types of cardiovascular disease (e.g., stroke, heart attacks) and diabetes. Shorter telomeres have also been associated with cancer, osteoporosis, cognitive function, dementia, and arthritis. On the flip-side, long telomeres are related to healthy aging and overall longevity.”
Scientists are hard at work finding out what sorts of things lengthen telomeres, they’ve done studies on yoga, antioxidants, meditation, exercise and acupuncture. All these have been proven, but acupuncture so far has been the shining star!
