The best anti-aging technique could be standing up, scientists believe, after discovering that spending more time on two feet protects DNA. A study found that too much sitting down shortens telomeres, the protective caps which sit at the end of chromosomes. Short telomeres have been linked to premature ageing, disease and early death. So spending less time on the sofa could help people live longer by preventing their DNA from aging.
The research found that people who were frequently on their feet had longer telomeres, which were keeping the genetic code safe from wear and tear.
Intriguingly taking part in more exercise did not seem to have an impact on telomere length.
Prof Mai-Lis Hellenius, from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, said: “In many countries formal exercise may be increasing, but at the same time people spend more time sitting. “There is growing concern that not only low physical activity but probably also sitting and sedentary behavior is an important and new health hazard of our time.” Further, “We hypothesize that a reduction in sitting hours is of greater importance than an increase in exercise time for elderly risk individuals.”
Telomeres stop chromosomes from fraying, clumping together and “scrambling” genetic code. Scientists liken their function to the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces, and say that lifespan is linked to their length. Researchers looked at 49 overweight sedentary adults in their late sixties and measured the length of the telomeres in their blood cells. Half of them had been part of an exercise program that lasted six months, while the other half had not. Physical activity levels were assessed using a diary and pedometer to measure the amount of footsteps taken each day. The amount of time spent sitting down was worked out through a questionnaire. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, revealed that although people who did more exercise tended to be healthier, the most important factor was how much time they spent sitting down.
Scientists found that the less time a person spent sitting, the longer their telomeres, and the greater their chance of living longer.
Source: The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
If simple changes in lifestyle are made, heart attacks can be reduced, state researchers. These 5 changes include, quitting smoking, eating more fruits and vegetables, walking for 40 minutes a day, cutting down on alcohol and losing the belly. The risk can be drastically lowered by this.
In a study of 20,271 men, it was found that 4 out of 5 attacks can be prevented if these 5 basic steps are taken. Even if 1 change is made, the risk can be reduced. However, if all 5 changes are made, the risk falls to 86 percent. If smoking is stopped the risk is cut down by 36 percent and if healthy diets followed, the risk is cut down by 8 percent.
If the waist measurement is less than 38 in, the risk is reduced by 13 percent. At the same time, biking or walking for 40 minutes a day would cut it by 7 percent. The more the changes made by men, the greater is the risk.
For instance, if a healthy diet is eaten and if drinking is less, the risk is cut down by 35 percent. If exercising is done, healthy diet is followed and if drinking is reduced, the risk falls by 64 percent, as per the study that is published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The researchers made calculations and stated that if these changes are made, 80 percent of heart attacks can be avoided.
To find out more about how to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle call the Southern California Center For Anti Aging (www.SoCalBHRT.com) today at 424-247-4962.
Source: Taken from the Wall Street Journal, 9-24-14.
The protective endcaps of chromosomes that affect how quickly cells age, telomeres are combinations of DNA and proteins that protect the ends of chromosomes and help them remain stable. Telomere shortening is associated with a weakening of structural integrity, and is thought to be a mechanism of aging. Eli Puterman, from the University of California/San Francisco (UCSF; California, USA), and colleagues examined three healthy behaviors, namely – physical activity, dietary intake and sleep quality – over the course of one year in 239 post-menopausal, non-smoking women. The women provided blood samples at the beginning and end of the year for telomere measurement and reported on stressful events that occurred during those 12 months. In women who engaged in lower levels of healthy behaviors, there was a significantly greater decline in telomere length in their immune cells for every major life stressor that occurred during the year. Yet women who maintained active lifestyles, healthy diets, and good quality sleep appeared protected when exposed to stress – accumulated life stressors did not appear to lead to greater shortening.
Observing that: “Women who maintained relatively higher levels of health behaviors appeared to be protected when exposed to stress,” the study authors submit that: “This finding has implications for understanding malleability of telomere length, as well as expectations for possible intervention effects.”
At the SCCAA we can test for telomere length and quality then make specific recommendations based on the results. We utilize multiple strategies to slow down the rate at which telomeres shorten, and help to protect and repair them. This generally involves following a healthy lifestyle, learning to manage stress, sufficient exercise, proper nutrition and specific vitamins minerals nutraceuticals which are personalized for each patient.
Sources: Puterman E, Lin J, Krauss J, Blackburn EH, Epel ES. “Determinants of telomere attrition over 1 year in healthy older women: stress and health behaviors matter.” Mol Psychiatry. 2014 Jul 29.
Refuting the recent onslaught of media articles that claim use of testosterone increases the risk of heart disease.
In recent years, an increasing number of men have been treated with testosterone for a variety of ailments. There has been growing concern among researchers (based on scientific studies) however, that the use of testosterone may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The results of a US-study recently published in the “Annals of Pharmacotherapy” now want to dispel those concerns.
Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston carried out an eight-year study involving 25,420 over 66 year-olds who were treated with testosterone. During the study period, each subject’s medical development was compared with that of a control group, which involved participants of the same age, ethnicity and with the same health data.
The results of the study showed that the use of testosterone was not related to an increased risk of heart attack. Quite the opposite in fact: men who had a higher likelihood of cardiovascular problems, due to other factors, had a lower rate of heart problems.
“This is a rigorous analysis of a large number of patients,” emphasized study author Jacques Baillargeon. While this study provides evidence that the use of testosterone may not be linked to harmful cardiovascular diseases, further large-scale studies will be important in the future to provide more definitive evidence.
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To find out more about MicroTabs, and if they are right for you, call the Southern California Center For Anti Aging (www.SoCalBHRT.com) today.
Some manufacturers are turning away from using Triclosan (an antimicrobial ingredient commonly found in soaps, toothpastes and other household products) over health concerns that this ingredient may be linked to an increase in cancer cells to those exposed. As turns out, these manufacturers’ health concerns may be justified; Triclosan is an endocrine disrupting chemical (“EDC”) capable of causing adverse changes in hormones to those exposed.
Researchers have been more involved with investigating the magnitude by which EDCs may spur cancer cell growth, given how ubiquitous EDCs have become in common consumer products (and consequently, in the environment and our bodies). Research has focused primarily on two EDCs: Triclosan, an antimicrobial ingredient found in soaps, cosmetics and cutting boards; and Octylphenol, an ingredient commonly used in paints, pesticides and plastics.
In recent laboratory tests performed on human breast cancer cells, and on special immune deficient mice with tissue grafts, scientists found that Triclosan interfered with genes involved with breast cancer cell growth, thereby resulting in increased cancer cells.
A study published in the American Chemical Society’s Chemical Research in Toxicology also found that mice exposed to Triclosan had larger and denser breast cancer tumors than the control group. The study authors warn that “these results suggest that (Triclosan) may promote breast cancer progression” and ultimately that “exposure to EDCs may significantly increase the risk of breast cancer development and adversely affect human health.”
To find out more about optimizing your hormones, detoxification, and how to best protect yourself from the adverse effects of EDCs, contact the Southern California Center For Anti Aging (www.SoCalBHRT.com).
Sources: Hye-Rim Lee, Kyung-A Hwang, Ki-Hoan Nam, Hyoung-Chin Kim, Kyung-Chul Choi. “Progression of Breast Cancer Cells Was Enhanced by Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals, Triclosan and Octylphenol, via an Estrogen Receptor-Dependent Signaling Pathway in Cellular and Mouse Xenograft Models.” Chem. Res. Toxicol., 2014, 27 (5), pp 834–842.
