The Telomere Effect

Your Telomeres

“Healthspan” refers to the number of healthy years in a life; “diseasespan” defines the years you live with the diseases of aging that negatively affect your quality of life. The interplay of many factors determines your healthspan. The question about why people age at different rates leads into the “nature” versus “nurture” argument. Nature assigns you certain genes, yet your habits shape the quality of your well-being. Your habits greatly affect your pace of cellular aging, which determines how old or young you feel.  

Telomeres exist at the ends of chromosomes, much like aglets, the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces. Telomeres protect the chromosomes during cell division by allowing genetic DNA to remain intact when cells divide. The length of telomeres determines the health of a cell and its ability to reproduce.

Telomeres shorten with cell division until they hit the “Hayflick limit,” named for biologist Leonard Hayflick who discovered that some cells eventually stop reproducing and enter “senescence.” Other cells renew throughout your life, such as stem cells. These remain in the stage of cell replenishment called...