Everyone wants to extend their health span, and when scientists try to discover the secrets to a longer, more vibrant life, the research often looks at the role of exercise, diet and telomere health. Our telomeres are critical to our longevity. As researchers investigate longevity, one thing is clear: our lifestyle habits have a profound impact. Factors such as exercise and diet affect our telomeres and, consequently, the aging process. Exercise and diet, two of the pillars of health, shape our biological destiny and can create a healthier, more resilient future.
What are telomeres?
Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes, whose length is linked to cellular ageing and overall health. They are like the plastic end of a shoelace that keeps it from fraying and are correlated with our age. Every time a cell divides and replicates, the telomeres shorten and this shortening is associated with ageing and age-related disease. They are our biological clock.
Exercise and telomeres
A study by Brigham Young exercise science professor and researcher Larry Tucker showed that exercise can affect biological age.
“Just because you’re 40, doesn’t mean you’re 40 years old biologically. We all know people that seem younger than their actual age. The more physically active we are, the less biological aging takes place in our bodies.”
Larry Tucker
This is not simply being active. To have younger telomeres, you need high physical activity levels. Highly active people can have a nine-year biological aging advantage over sedentary adults and a seven-year advantage compared to moderately active ones. BTW, highly active was considered doing the equivalent of a 30-40 minute run five days a week.
Nutrition and Telomeres
The hot topic around longevity and diet revolves around fasting and time-restricted feeding.
Fasting, particularly intermittent fasting, has gained attention for its potential health benefits, including effects on telomere length. Some research suggests that intermittent fasting may help maintain or even lengthen telomeres, which could have implications for slowing the aging process and reducing the risk of age-related diseases.
One study published in 2017 found that participants who followed a fasting-mimicking diet (a type of intermittent fasting) for five days a month showed improvements in various health markers, including a decrease in factors associated with aging, such as inflammation and fasting insulin levels, and an increase in telomere length in immune cells.
Another study published in Cell Metabolism in 2019 showed that time-restricted feeding, a form of intermittent fasting in which eating is restricted to a certain window of time each day, improved metabolic health and increased lifespan in mice. The researchers also found that time-restricted feeding prevented age-related decline in the integrity of telomeres.
While these studies provide insights into the potential effects of fasting on telomere length and aging, more research is needed to determine the long-term effects of fasting on human health and longevity.
Additionally, individual responses to fasting may vary, and some medications make it difficult to restrict calories. Much evidence suggests that a whole-food, plant-based diet will produce the same results. If you are on medications, it’s important to consult a healthcare professional before significantly changing your diet or exercise program.
Exercise and Nutrition
In a new study, researchers examined the impact of time-restricted eating and high-intensity exercise on body composition and health markers, including cholesterol, blood glucose, and lipid levels.
Sixty-four obese women were divided into one of three groups: time-restricted eating (diet only), high-intensity functional training (exercise only), or time-restricted eating plus high-intensity functional training (diet + exercise).
The women in the time-restricted eating group ate only between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. Those in the training groups exercised three times per week.
The results
The 12-week study showed that all women lost weight regardless of which group. They all decreased their waist and hip circumference. All women also had healthy changes to their blood lipid and glucose levels.
The difference between groups showed that fat-free mass (a measure of muscle mass) and blood pressure improved in the diet + exercise and exercise-only groups but did not change in the diet-only group.
The women in the diet + exercise group had greater changes in body composition and cardiometabolic health markers than either diet or exercise alone.
Intermittent Fasting + HIIT: Fitness Fad or Fix? – Medscape – May 01, 2024.
Conclusion
Eating less and doing strenuous exercise is important for health and longevity. There is no hack, no quick fix. It takes time and is not easy, but it has incredible benefits. A plant-based diet is another component that wasn’t in this study but has been proven to increase the length of your telomeres in this study on women and this study on men with prostate cancer.
Change your mind, change your health,
Shayla
PS If you want to join my new 12-week exercise and diet program to reap the benefits for yourself, stay tuned for all the details.
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