What are telomeres and how do they accelerate ageing?

Have you ever closely examined a shoelace? If you haven’t, we suggest you do so now. But if you’re already familiar with the anatomy of a shoelace, you’d have noticed the plastic covering at the ends, which seems to protect the shoelace from fraying. These tiny protective coverings are called ‘aglets’, and in essence, they increase the longevity of the shoelace.?

Exactly like the aglet, our chromosomes are protected by Telomeres - the structural ends of a block of DNA. They function as protective caps for the chromosome.?The primary role of telomeres is to protect the DNA from damage by protecting the coding region (the middle part) of the chromosomes. When cells divide they make copies of their DNA. However the edges of the DNA stream can’t be copied to precision, and tend to lose parts or shrink as cells replicate. This is where telomeres come into the picture. They don’t contain any useful genetic information, and are hence able to protect the DNA when it replicates. This means that part of telomeres are lost rather than the actual genetic code being lost during cell replication. This is called telomere alteration (also known as, telomere attrition).?

Over time, as our cells continue to divide and copies of the DNA are continuously made, each time a new copy is made, a part of the telomere is lost. With time it gets shorter and shorter, ultimately leaving the? DNA unprotected. At this stage, the cell stops replicating.?

Running out of telomeres can make cells go senescent. When damaged cells don’t self-destruct and are not removed by our immune system, they accumulate in tissues and start to cause damage. The accumulation of senescent cells with age becomes harmful (read more about this in the previous edition of our newsletter). In short, as we grow older, telomeres shrink, resulting in increasingly poor tissue repair and maintenance.

Telomeres also play a role in cancer

The structure of a telomere consists of repeated code which should make it easy for them to lengthen again after being shortened (due to cell division). However, regular cells don’t lengthen again, unlike sperm, eggs and most stem cells. And this is a protective measure to prevent cancer. Potentially damaged and mutated cells aren’t able to replicate after a point, thanks to telomeres. Though replication of mutated cells can be harmless, they can also be the first step for a cell to become cancerous. Hence, telomeres help us by reducing the probability of developing cancer.

What can you do about it?

Lifestyle plays a key role in the rate of telomere loss. Regular movement and a nutritious diet play a big role in slowing down the depletion of telomeres. So here is a biohack for you:

• MAKE YOUR NEXT ONE HOUR MEETING A WALKING ONE

An average person can do 6500-7000 steps in 60 minutes or 3000-3500 in 30 minutes. Practice this to get Aerobic exercise as an outcome. Your signals should be lowering resting heart rate and increased energy expenditure (kcal).

This newsletter is a part of our ongoing series on the nine hallmarks of ageing. Our aim is to help you understand the science, learn to recognise the markers of ageing and to develop biohacks for each of these. Next week, we will look at epigenetic alterations. You can read the previous editions here.?

Curious to know more about longevity, ageing and how you can cultivate a lifestyle which will help you live longer, healthier and happier?? Feel free to drop me a message for a 1-on-1 conversation.?