THE SCIENCE OF TELOMERES
For those who are unfamiliar, the Science of Telomeres, for which 3 researchers won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009, is at the leading edge of our scientific understanding of the aging process. Its potential impacts are limitless, and the latest advances in and understandings of Telomere Science are poised to change the human aging process forever. But before we understand the effects and benefits, it is first important to understand the science behind Telomeres.
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- Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of each of our chromosomes, in every one of our cells.
- Telomeres shorten significantly as we age: each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter and shorter, until they can no longer divide and the cell becomes ‘senescent,’ which negatively affects the body.
- Science shows that short telomeres lead to a number of negative health conditions.
- There are 3 major causes of telomere shortening: Loss of Telomerase, Oxidative stress, and Inflammation (See below)
- Telomerase is an enzyme that builds and maintains telomeres.
- Telomere Science can help turn back the biological clock at the cellular level. Longer telomeres for a longer health span.
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- Each time a cell divides, the Telomeres, which cap and protect the chromosomes, get shorter and shorter until the cell can no longer divide. It becomes ‘senescent’, which then negatively affects the body’s tissues and organs.
- It takes only ONE critically-short Telomere to throw a cell into senescence.
- Telomeres are shortened primarily due to: Chronological cell division/aging in the absence of the Telomere-lengthening enzyme– Telomerase, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation.
- The enzyme Telomerase, which is absent in most cells, if ‘activated’, can re-lengthen Telomeres.
- Fortunately, Telomerase ‘preferentially’ seeks out and lengthens the critical shortest telomeres first, like attacking the ‘weakest link’ in the cell.
- An abundance of peer-reviewed research shows that short Telomeres lead to a number of negative health conditions, and that there are very positive health benefits from longer Telomeres, by delaying or even reversing cell senescence.
CAUSES OF TELOMERE SHORTENING
LOSS OF TELOMERASE
Telomerase is an enzyme that builds and maintains Telomeres. It prevents or reduces shortening by adding extra pieces of DNA each time a cell divides. Without Telomerase, human telomeres get shorter each time a cell divides, leading to eventual cell senescence and loss of cell function, which plays a key role in aging. With the important exceptions of Adult Stem Cells and Leukocytes (Immune cells), Telomerase is inactive in most human cells; but research suggests that if “activated,” Telomerase can help re-lengthen Telomeres.
OXIDATIVE STRESS
Telomere experts Drs. Bill Andrews and Calvin Harley state that, “Telomeres are a hotspot for oxidative damage” (2010), meaning that oxidative stress at the cellular level has a profoundly negative impact on both Telomere length and Telomerase activity. As explained by Nobel laureate Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn (2010), “Oxidative stress directly exerts a negative effect on telomere length maintenance, both through inhibition of telomerase activity and direct erosion of GGG triplets in telomeric DNA.” In fact, research demonstrates that if unaddressed, oxidative stress can reduce Telomerase activity by 51-68%, and double the rate of Telomere shortening (2004/2008.)
INFLAMMATION
Inflammation also has a significant negative impact on Telomere length. Again, per Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, “Chronic inflammatory activity is a promoter of leukocyte telomere shortening in particular” (2011), partly because inflammation leads to increased cell division, which shortens Telomeres, and partly because inflammatory “cytokines” like TNF-alpha, and markers of inflammation like homocysteine, can have a dramatic impact on both Telomerase activity and the rate of Telomere shortening, all of which greatly affect overall Telomere length.
OUR UNIQUE APPROACH
WHAT EXPERTS ARE SAYING
The Guiding Principle upon which Telomere Biosciences was founded in 2010 is that the science and understanding of Telomeres has advanced in a major way since the first commercial telomerase-activating supplement was launched a full 8 years ago in 2007: the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded in 2009, and literally thousands of studies by top researchers and clinicians have made breakthrough advances right through the present, including the identification of multiple natural telomerase-activating compounds and many other highly-important Telomere-supportive nutritional ingredients. Perhaps most important of all, research now makes it clear that there are multiple factors which impact Telomere shortening, and that multiple points of intervention, rather than a ‘single-bullet,’ are required to have the greatest positive impact on Telomere length, which is after all the scientific and medical goal.
Telomere Biosciences’ unique scientific and product proposition is driven by these major advances, and our flagship product TELO-100 is the first and only integrated “complex” of multiple pro-Telomere and telomerase-activating natural ingredients to target ALL major causes of telomere shortening. Telomere Biosciences is also committed to making the breakthrough health benefits of Telomere Science accessible and affordable not only to the wealthy, but to the millions of people worldwide who can benefit from longer Telomeres.
There are 3 Telomerase inducers [activators] on the market; the first was TA-65, from TA Sciences; and the absolute newest is from Telomere Biosciences. (Feb. 23, 2012 Presentation)
Dr. Bill Andrews,
World Renowned Telomere & Telomerase ExpertOther companies are starting to form that target the science of lengthening telomeres. A company that seems to hold particular promise is Telomere Biosciences. Their first nutritional supplement [TELO-100] targets all three major causes of telomere shortening: aging, oxidative stress, and inflammation. (From his groundbreaking book & New York Times Bestseller “The Life Plan”)
At Telomere Biosciences, we are committed to making the health benefits of Telomere Science accessible and finally affordable to the millions of people, and also now dogs, worldwide who can benefit from longer telomeres for a longer healthspan.
