Healthy Living – but check those telomeres!
Accidents excepted, it’s beginning to look as if your life is in your own hands in more than the metaphorical sense. A recent BBC post outlined research that seems to prove that the ‘an apple a day’ adage may be true, and that healthy living can add around 14 years of quality life.
This has always been a bit of a no-brainer for me, I feel better and function more efficiently when I’m fit (yes, I know that ‘fit’ is a relative term when you’re getting on a bit, see my earlier post), I enjoy eating fruit, I have a low salt diet, I don’t smoke, etc, etc. Keeping the booze levels down is a bit more of a problem, I enjoy red wine and a dram of a quality single malt seems like nectar to me, two of the pleasures of life and something to be savoured.
Another BBC report seems to support these viewpoints. A study of the lifestyles of twins found that individuals with a physically active life appeared to be biologically younger than their more sedentary siblings. The most important conclusion from the research seems to be a confirmation of earlier speculation on the role of ‘telomeres’, DNA sequences that appear on the end of chromosomes and appear to shorten as a consequence of the aging process. Modern research shows that telomeres can in fact be restored and lengthened as a result of physical exercise, thus turning back the biological clock. Click here for further insight.