Good news: the length of our telomeres is crucial for our appearance. Find out what you can do for longer telomeres here!
What happens when we age?
Young, healthy skin cells renew themselves about once a month by simply making a copy of themselves. The ageing process begins when cell division slows down or the cells lose their ability to copy themselves exactly. Telomeres play a crucial role in this process. They are like small protective caps that sit on the ends of the chromosome strands and hold them together - similar to the protective cap on a shoelace that holds the strings together.
Longer telomeres - younger appearance
Each new cell division causes the telomeres to become shorter until they are no longer able to hold the chromosome strands together. This can cause damage to the cell, which in the worst case can lead to malignant cell changes such as cancer. To prevent this, the cell either dies or is shut down by the body. It can no longer renew itself - in other words, we age. Conversely, this also means: longer telomeres - younger appearance. This brings us to the question of whether telomere length can be positively influenced?
Three things you can do to improve your telomere length:
1. Eat the rainbow
No surprise - a healthy, predominantly plant-based, low-meat diet rich in antioxidants and healthy fats counteracts oxidative stress and micro-inflammation, which have a negative impact on telomere length. In general, oxidative stress (e.g. from smoking, air pollution, UV radiation) should be avoided. Obesity is also associated with shortened telomeres.
2. Get moving
Regular exercise helps to reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Important: you should not push yourself too hard, especially if you are untrained. Exercise would otherwise increase the cortisol level instead of lowering it and thus have a negative effect on telomere length. So it's better to do regular, light exercise and not sit too much than to start training for the next half marathon straight away!
3. Stress less
Several studies have shown that regular meditation helps to improve telomere length. In general, longer telomeres have been measured in people who view difficult situations more as a challenge and remain calm. Ten minutes a day already makes a difference. If you can't or don't want to meditate on your own, try an app like Calm or Headspace. And now everyone: Ommmmmmm...
