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[ ] A Tale of Telomeres WHAT ARE TELOMERES? Richard Cawthon, M.D., Ph.D., a research associate professor in The Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, describes telomeres as "specialized protein DNA complexes at the ends of chromosomes." These structures have a protective function—much like aglets, the plastic ends of shoelaces. But telomeres shorten as people age, and this process "contributes to some agerelated chronic diseases and death; we know that people who have longer telomeres live longer," adds Cawthon. For example, he cites, in one study with 143 subjects, researchers found that people 60 years or older who had telomere length in the top half lived five years longer than those who had telomere length in the bottom half. Telomeres shorten each time a cell replicates, and when a cell can't replicate, it dies, explains Mark Anderson, M.D., managing partner at Executive Medicine of Texas in South Lake, Texas. "The aging process at the cellular level dictates how old a person is physiologically versus chronologically," he explains. "It affects skin and affects all cells." Everyone has telomeres, but not everyone's telomere lengths are the same, or shorten at the same pace. "Telomeres are at the end of all chromosomes in healthy cells, and they function in two fairly different ways," explains David Woynarowski, M.D., Philadelphia-based author of The Immortality Edge: Realize the Secrets of Your Telomeres for a Longer, Healthier Life. "Structurally, they keep chromosomes intact and prevent them from unraveling; biochemically, they work in cell cycle regulation—how many times the cell can reproduce." If the telomere is short, the cell goes into "park," a process known as senescence, and eventually apoptosis, which Woynarowski refers to as "cellular suicide." This ultimately contributes to the aging process. "Removing sick, dead or dying cells from the pool causes a loss of cell mass and organ function, which creates a domino effect leading to inflammation; the aging process is inflammatory," says Woynarowski. "Telomeres serve as a biological time clock, dictating how many times cells can divide and what happens when they're no longer healthy." PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Telomeres are implicated in the aging process by both the percentage of short telomeres in the body and the rate at which short telomeres increase; a rapid increase in shortened telomeres can lead to accelerated aging. The good news is, it's possible to impede this sequence of events. "There are a few things your clients can do to slow down the telomere shortening process: Get the proper amount of sleep, eat a well-balanced diet, meditate, and dayspamagazine.com/freeinfo • Use FreeInfo #30 72 DAYSPA | JANUARY 2013