Maintaining The Length of Telomeres

Today’s message will have more scientific info. Take a look at this:

✓ Our chromosomes have telomeres, the structures at the extremities of the chromosomes.

✓ These telomeres protect the chromosomes from damage, protecting the information in these chromosomes. To visualize, think of your shoelaces, and the plastic on the ends that hold them together. The telomeres help maintain the information in the chromosomes and protect them from damage.

✓ We have to keep these telomeres long to prevent diseases.

✓ By taking care of your physical body, your temple here on Earth, you help lengthen these telomeres.

✓ Telomeres with preserved length lead to better cell function, preventing aging, disease, inflammation.

These activities help lengthen our telomeres:

1. Daily exercise aids (it’s more appropriate to say exercise has a pronounced effect) in increasing the length of telomeres, or maintaining a healthy length to protect it.

2. Meditation can lengthen our telomeres. It’s more helpful if meditation is done regularly. However, dedicating 10 minutes per day to meditation is enough to reap benefits that will help your mental and physical health (lengthening the telomeres).

3. Diet rich in antioxidants: vitamins C, E, and A are examples of antioxidants, as well as fruits, vegetables, a plant-based diet. Limiting processed foods is another key factor to decreasing inflammation to promote longer telomeres.

Remember mental health is extremely important for how your body reacts, stresses, de-stresses, etc. Curing your anxiety and controlling it is beneficial for physical health.

Send me a message if this resonated with you, or if you have questions.

Have a great weekend,

Girlene Coughlin, Registered Dietitian