Telomerase Activation
An enzyme called telomerase can slow, stop or even reverse the telomere shortening that happens as we age.5,6 The amount of telomerase in our bodies declines as we get older.4
In 2009, the Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine was awarded to three scientists who discovered how telomerase impacts telomere length. Their work explained how the ends of DNA strands are protected by telomeres, and that telomeres are built by telomerase.7 Exposing human cells to telomerase slows cell aging and allows cells to begin copying again.6 Activating telomerase can:
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Address telomere shortening and cell aging
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Help cells live longer and continue to function properly
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Make old cells function as they did when they were younger (by changing gene expression to a younger phenotype)
There are other things we can do that might help restore telomere length or at least slow the loss of telomere length: reduce stress, stop smoking, lose weight, exercise more and eat a healthier diet.2,8,9
Exposing human cells to telomerase slows cell aging and
allows cells to begin copying again6
References
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Armanios M, Blackburn EH. The telomere syndromes. Nature Reviews Genetics. 2012;13:693–704.
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Blackburn EH, Epel ES. Comment: Too toxic to ignore. Nature. 2012;490:169–171.
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Aubert G, Lansdorp PM. Telomeres and aging. Physiological Reviews. 2008;88:557–579.
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Eisenberg DTA. An evolutionary review of human telomere biology: the thrifty telomere hypothesis and notes on potential adaptive paternal effects. American Journal of Human Biology. 2011;23:149–167.
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Oeseburg H, et al. Telomere biology in healthy aging and disease. Pflügers Archiv – European Journal of Physiology. 2010;459:259–268.
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Sahin E, DePinho RA. Linking functional decline of telomeres, mitochondria and stem cells during ageing. Nature. 2010;464:520–528.
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Press release: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009. Nobelprize.org. Available online at: http://www.nobelprize.org…press.html. Accessed October 8, 2013.
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Ornish D. Effect of comprehensive lifestyle changes on telomerase activity and telomere length in men with biopsy–proven low–risk prostate cancer: 5–year follow–up of a descriptive pilot study. The Lancet Oncology. 2013;14(11):1112–1120.
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Valdes AM, et al. Obesity, cigarette smoking, and telomere length in women. The Lancet. 2005;366(964)662–664.