HEALTH + WELLNESS
processes which can speed up telomere
shortening (think poor diet, smoking,
severe stress, lack of sleep, environ-
mental exposures) and more impor-
tantly, processes which can slow or
even reverse the shortening. Reverse
aging? This should be front page news,
right? Nobel Prize winner Dr. Eliza-
beth Blackburn certainly thinks so. In
The Telomere Effect (2017), Blackburn
and Dr. Elissa Epel share groundbreak-
ing research on how telomeres contrib-
ute to aging and illness. Changes we
make to our lifestyle and daily habits
can not only protect our telomeres
from premature shortening but can
increase our “health spans”—the num-
ber of years we are healthy, active and
disease-free. The book covers studies
in genetics, epidemiology, nutrition
and social science supporting the role
of lifestyle choices in aging and disease
at the cellular level.
Diet
While we know that a Mediterranean
diet composed of whole foods and
devoid of refined carbohydrates, pro-
cessed foods, red meat and sugary
drinks is beneficial, there may be evi-
dence at the cellular level. In an article
published in the British Medical Journal,
researchers examined the dietary
habits of 4,676 disease-free women.
Those following a Mediterranean diet
had the longest telomeres. Blackburn
and her associates found that omega-3
fatty acids, high in the Mediterranean
diet, seemed especially beneficial to
telomeres. A 2012 study comparing
omega-3 intake of 1.25–2.5 grams
to a placebo was associated with an
increase in telomere length. Blackburn
suggests the findings are provocative
enough to recommend omega-3
supplementation in addition to an
anti-inflammatory diet.
Exercise
It is no surprise that exercise also can
increase the length of telomeres, but
research suggests that only 3–4 days
of moderate exercise for 45 minutes
was enough to be beneficial and was
even preferred to more intensive
exercise, like marathon running. One
study showed the more diverse the
exercise program, the better the effects
on telomeres. For example, combin-
ing resistance training, aerobics and
yoga showed the most positive effects.
When each of these modalities was
looked at individually, high intensity
workouts (HIIT) provided the greatest
benefit, followed by resistance training
and yoga.
SUMMER 2019
113