Natural DNA Hack SHIELDS You Against Aging
Being taller doesn’t make you live longer… but having longer telomeres DOES.
Telomeres are the tips on the ends of your DNA strands that protect them…
Kind of like the plastic tip at the end of a shoelace (technically called aglets). If the aglet falls off, the shoelaces typically start to fray and can deteriorate pretty quickly.
The SAME is true of your telomeres.
And that’s a real problem because the connection between telomeres and longevity is so strong that it’s now used as a marker of biological age.
But here’s the thing. There’s a hidden hack that can keep those telomeres nice and long.
Omega-3 fatty acids are well-known for being heart-healthy (I’ll tell you more about that in a minute).
But it turns out they’re ALSO excellent for boosting longevity.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with higher omega-3 (EPA and DHA) levels had the slowest rate of telomere shortening over 5 years.
And as I explained earlier, longer telomeres tend to equal a longer (HEALTHIER) life.
It’s a direct way that omega-3s help us live longer. But there are plenty of other ways these healthy fats support healthy aging.
For example, …
- for heart health, omega-3s are good for vascular function, blood pressure, triglyceride levels, and resting heart rate.
- for brain health, eating one or more servings of fatty fish (which provides DHA) weekly increases gray matter in the brain. Gray matter is the area that processes information.
- for eye health, people with diets rich in omega-3s are 25 to 35 percent less likely to suffer from age-related vision issues. This could be because DHA is the most abundant fatty acid in the eyes and is essential for the functioning of rhodopsin, which converts light to visual images.
- for joint health, fish oil supplements with EPA and DHA have been shown to ease joint pain.
Studies like these make it clear that getting plenty of omega-3s with a diet rich in fatty fish is essential for living longer AND better.
Good choices to support your telomeres include salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, and trout.
P.S. Simple tricks to boost an aging brain.
Source:
Farzaneh-Far R, et Al., “Association of marine omega-3 fatty acid levels with telomeric aging in patients with coronary heart disease.” JAMA. 2010 Jan 20;303(3):250-7. doi: 10.1001/jama.2009.2008. PMID: 20085953; PMCID: PMC2819264.
