Shortening Of Telomeres Appears To Be One Of The Major Mechanisms Behind Aging

The gradual process of shortening of telomeres acts like a "genetic time clock". As the telomeres reach critically short lengths, the cells will no longer be protected and cease to function. This is the reason why we experience memory loss, for example, as we become older; the cells in the brain are gradually ceasing to function as the length of the telomeres become shorter and shorter.

Telomeres And Stress

The chief enemy of telomeres is stress. As cells divide over time, if telomeres are damaged by external factors such as stress, they become inaccurate markers of biological aging. This may lead to early onset of grey hair, wrinkly skin and memory loss. The shorter the telomeres, the less protected the DNA and the quicker the onset of aging.

The erosion of telomeres can be halted by reducing stress, and they can also be stimulated to grow again, which actually reverses the process of aging. Elizabeth Blackburn and colleagues won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2009 for their work in discovering the enzyme that lengthens telomeres, called telomerase. Telomerase allows for the replacement of telomeres, therefore keeping cell’s chromosomes protected for longer, delaying the process of aging and cell death. Active telomerase is one of the factors why “immortal” cells such as cancer cells can keep dividing indefinitely.

Avoid "Bad" Stress To Delay Aging

There is such a thing as "good stress" and "bad stress". Good stress is short-lived; revising for a big exam, building up to the exam itself and then sitting the exam and experiencing the relief when it is all over. Bad stress is stress that is allowed to continue over a significant period of time, and it’s how we respond to this that could have a powerful bearing on our physically well-being and the process of aging. Do you sit in traffic and get mad at how late you are going to be for that meeting, or do you sit back and turn the music up in the car and let the whole situation wash over you since you can’t change the traffic situation anyway? This mental mindset has a remarkable effect on the levels of stress hormones swimming around our bloodstream and ultimately the rate at which those telomeres are being eroded.

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However, on the contrary, other scientists believe that the key to reversing the process of aging lies in simply taking steps to reduce the amount of stress in our daily lives. Forget Botox, facelifts, supplements and expensive creams, research is now pointing to stress as the most serious of our manageable illnesses. The most powerful tool in the battle to look younger is simply comes down to how we live and manage our day-to-day life.