Groundbreaking new research just released from University of California, San Francisco shows that stress can damage your DNA accelerating ageing. The good news is that the study, conducted over 12 months with 239 post-menopausal women found that lifestyle changes, such as being active and eating well reduced the impact of stress on ageing significantly.
How do you measure ageing? Think of your DNA – your genetic material contained in each cell – with caps like the ends of shoelaces. These caps are called telomeres and they protect your DNA from damage. As you age your telomeres get shorter and shorter loosing genetic material and it speeds up with oxidative stress from radiation, chemicals from air, water and food, poor sleep, inactivity and sub-optimal diet. Telomere length was measured in women in the study.
We already instinctively know that women at midlife have to get serious about their lifestyle. In this particular study those women who weren’t had double the loss of genetic material. Shorter telomeres put you at much greater risk for the big diseases of ageing – cardiovascular disease which is the biggest killer of post menopausal women, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
So what can you do to keep long, lovely telomeres?
1. Eat grapes, cacao and cacao butter which contain resveratrol to help repair DNA from free radical damage
2. Eat fermented foods that support healthy gut function
3. Eat more plant foods with high antioxidant levels like berries, turmeric, green leafy vegetables
4. Drink green tea preferably matcha green tea
5. Find ways to exercise with bursts of high intensity. Exercise is one of the biggest game changers when it comes to telomere length. Vigorous physical activity appears to protect those experiencing high stress by buffering its relationship with telomere length (TL).
6. Ensure you are getting plenty of Vit D – take a supplement if your blood levels are low, vitamin B12, folic acid, magnesium and zinc and omega 3 which all have a beneficial impact on telomere length
7. De-stress through finding pleasure everyday – hugs, laughter, mindfulness, dance, intimacy, walks on the beach whatever lifts your mojo.
7. Breathe in essential oils to uplift your spirit – melissa, lavender, orange, lemon, peace and calming blend.
For more information listen to ABC Radio National podcast Life Matters on Stress and Ageing http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2014/07/lms_20140730_0905.mp3 or read about foods that affect telomere length http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/09/the-nutrients-most-likely-to-let-you-live-to-be-much-older-than-100.aspx
Taking care of your telomeres is all about creating a daily ritual of self care. Elizabeth Blackburn, the Australian who won the Nobel Peace prize in 2009 for her discovery of telomeres has definitely got us thinking about how we can live our life into the menopause and beyond to protect our precious DNA.
photo credit: jurvetson via photopin cc