By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Meditate Your Way to Longer Telomeres; Keep Aging at Bay?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Home Health > Meditate Your Way to Longer Telomeres; Keep Aging at Bay?
Home HealthNewsPublic Health

Meditate Your Way to Longer Telomeres; Keep Aging at Bay?

Patti Doherty
Patti Doherty
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

As part of Popper and Company’s ongoing effort to scan the health care universe and share innovative ideas and solutions with you, the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has risen to the surface.

As part of Popper and Company’s ongoing effort to scan the health care universe and share innovative ideas and solutions with you, the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has risen to the surface. That year, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostack received the prize for discovering “how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.”  The Nobel Laureates demonstrated that chromosomes are protected from degradation by telomeres, which sit at the ends of our chromosomes, similar to the plastic cap on the end of a shoelace. There’s a lesson here that plays on a theme that Popper and Company team members often discuss among ourselves – the role the individual plays in his or her own health and longevity.

Let me explain: The telomere protects our chromosomes from becoming tattered and damaged. The enzyme telomerase helps maintain a healthy cell. As telomerase levels and activity diminish over time, our telomeres shorten and no longer divide, our cells age and no longer function properly; they then die, and well, eventually we die.

Shortened telomeres do not divide properly and can throw our bodies out of balance, leading to increased inflammation and illness. Telomeres are influenced by non-genetic “lifestyle” factors such as well-being, diet and exercise.  Telomere length may be influenced by psychological stress and depression, and such states as “seeing red” and “rumination.” The recent TEDMED 2011 talk by Calvin Hurley and Elissa Epel on how stress ages cells and cuts telomeres short brings up some interesting ideas on how to possibly alter stress-shortened telomeres. Depending on the type of stress, the level of stress, and the meaning we assign to that stress, it can change our physiological state and increase blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of insulin and cortisol—all of which influence our biology.

More Read

3 Awesome Tips for Runners with Flat Feet
WH Launches Front-End Program to Expand Healthcare Delivery Ahead of Reform
What is the Value of Hope in Cancer Care?
14 Reasons to Be Hopeful About the Future of Food
Is Platelt-Rich Plasma the next big thing in Stem Cell Science?

In some respects, we have the potential to create our own “wireless” applications through the messages we send from the brain to the rest of the body. In addition, messages sent from the environment can change the “connections” in our nervous system. This idea originated more than 100 years ago, but it is an area that continues to receive a lot of interest and attention.

Thoughts and well-being influence the many cellular activities in our body that in turn influence health or illness. Simple activities like mindful meditation, exercise and relaxation may positively influence how our cells age.

In the search for better and innovative ideas to create ‘quality of life,’ some of the onus may be on us to implement change in our daily activities by embracing stress-reducing activities that provide high value.

Do you think that our mental state can forestall aging at this chromosomal level? Or, is this an artifact of cell biology research that might not be applicable to humans? Does this present a new area for therapy (or at least therapeutic research for life science companies)? Share your thoughts with us.

 

Original article

TAGGED:cell agingchromosomesenzymestelomerasetelomeres
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Remote Area Medical (RAM) Coming to New York With Free Clinics December and Food and Supplies for New Jersey After Thanksgiving Holiday

November 22, 2012

FAT FREE = DANGER! (How I hate fat-free half & half)

August 21, 2012

Hurricane Preparedness Tips for Older Adults & Caretakers

September 17, 2012

Government Using Social Media to Track Health Behaviors

November 24, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?