Hi friends! I started up this blog years ago and guess what? I’m back! Follow the blog or Facebook page to stay up to date with new topics. Just going to jump right in here…
I’ve been interested in taking a deeper dive into understanding telomeres and how their length associates with length and quality of human life. In short, a telomere is a repeating DNA sequence in the form of a structure at the end of a chromosome, a really fascinating aspect of our biology. Telomeres prevent chromosomes from fusing together and they can reach a length of 15,000 base pairs.
Science is showing the longer a human’s telomeres are, the longer that human might exude youthfulness from the inside out and avoid disease like cancer, and so on. Could understanding telomeres be the key to the fountain of youth? Sign me up!
While more research and analysis needs to be executed on the topic in general, the substantial evidence we already have is enough for me to try to unearth the answers to: What foods lengthen telomeres and what foods shorten telomeres?
There’s a major correlation.
While I will go more in depth on this topic in the future, right now I just want to blurt out something I am just fascinated by. It turns out palmitic acid found in animal products (meat, eggs, dairy, salmon) has toxic effects on telomere length. Research shows that swapping just 1% of calories in our diet from saturated fat for calories from literally anything else can add an entire year of aging’s worth of length onto our telomeres. Pretty cool, right?
Swapping 1% of calories in our diet from saturated fat for calories from anything else can add length to telomeres.
There’s more: TFAs (Trans Fatty Acids) which can increase with high cooking temperatures also shorten telomere length. So for example, palmitelaidic acid and linolelaidic acid are two TFAs that have a negative effect on telomere length.
So what kind of fatty food is in the clear? Also based on science, your MUFAs and PUFAs are a healthier source of fat to lean on. In addition to not having an adverse relationship with telomere length, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids work to lower bad LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol and maintain heart-protective HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein). You can find this fat in (uncooked) nuts, avocados, olives, and oils derived from these foods.
After years of studying food science and exploring topics in holistic medicine, Ayurveda, and dietetics, I’ve learned something: There is a certain divinity about our ecosystem and food, and sometimes we can assume natural laws before science can prove them.
Did it shock me to find out that something found in foods from living beings might actually have an negative effect on the longevity on the lives of those who choose to consume it? Not in the least. For me, it provides a deeper understanding of the dynamic balance and often unspoken relationship we have as humans with the earth. If you’re in touch with your karmic relationship with food, this is something you might already feel is common sense. Karma aside, this science shouldn’t be taken with a grain of salt!
Just food for thought… NB
Telomere and Nutrition Studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29500463
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20431990
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23616516
NUTRIBABBLE 