How are telomeres and cell aging related? Medications and a healthy lifestyle to lengthen telomeres. How to resist DNA aging and lengthen telomeres Telomeres and cell aging

Get access to the codes of “youth”? No problem! If only we are ready for the “strangeities”, paradoxes and (oh, horror!) - the inadequacies of our super bodies.

The strangeness begins when we learn that, in fact, our cognitive breakdowns interfere with the search and understanding of the codes of “youth”.

Neuroscientists reassure: “You can cope with this strangeness if you treat yourself with self-irony. Is our super body at the level of the brain, he often behaves “not great.” The brain rebels against objective reality and novelty. But you can work with this!”

Not long ago, a “bomb” appeared in the English-speaking segment of the Internet. Scientists have presented a huge list of our cognitive distortions, or, more simply, breakdowns.

How to accept such a revelation: we are often visited by the illusion that we are doing some things very correctly and logically, but in fact, everything is the other way around? But such a perception manifests itself in all areas of life. In fact, it greatly complicates our access to the codes of “youth.” Scientists present proven facts, but we do not perceive them. But finally they accepted it: “Hurray! It turns out that rejuvenation at the cellular level is in our hands!” And five minutes later they forgot. The new knowledge dissipated - it was “swallowed” by cognitive breakdown!

“You shouldn’t be upset, it’s fixable! Firstly, we must accept the fact that the brain sometimes distorts objective reality, and secondly, we must not be afraid to become familiar with these distortions. The more we know about them, the more they lose their power,” neuroscientists reassure us.

It is necessary to talk about the main codes of “youth” in different ways, and more often. This is not exactly simple information. And the brain “does not like” any complexity, because it is forced to spend energy on mastering and remembering it. Therefore, he evades this in every possible way, displacing from memory what we want to invest in ourselves.

One of the main codes of “youth” is telomeres. What's happened telomeres? No, it's not something that measures the body! This is the end section of DNA, or, in other words, the end sections of chromosomes. Our body consists of cells that are capable of dividing, creating their own copies. At first glance, it seems that if cells are constantly renewed, then the body can live forever. But this is impossible. The most important part of a cell is the chromosomes; they store information about the cell. When a cell divides, the chromosomes also divide, creating a copy of all the necessary information. They are located at the ends of chromosomes telomeres.

Telomeres under a microscope - highlighted areas

Our aging begins when telomeres begin to shorten. Slowing down aging means preventing them from shortening in a “natural” rhythm. Stop the shortening process completely telomere- impossible, but suspending is quite possible! And this is already a very great achievement in our establishment of “eternal youth”.

Why can't telomere shrinkage be stopped completely? Because this process is laid down in the very program of life. For our life to continue, cells must divide. Over the course of our entire life, each cell divides about 50 times. This is the limit of life! With each cell division, telomeres shorten. Telomere shortening is the most accurate marker of aging. If a doctor who does not know our age and appearance looks at our telomeres, it will accurately determine our age. Means:

• The first (irremovable) reason for the shortening of telomeres is the very time we spend on earth.
• The second (removable) reason for shortening telomere- stress.
• The third (removable) reason for shortening telomere- unhealthy food.

Two reasons for shortening telomere, which we can control - this is already a lot to achieve enchanting results. Here they are - those same 20-25 extra years of adult freshness that we can fully afford.

Until recently, scientists believed that telomeres are shortened irreversibly - and nothing can be done to increase them. And most of us knew nothing at all about telomeres - we were “stressed”, ate “aging” food, and, as a result, hopelessly “burned” our telomeres.

This is no longer the case. It turns out that the size telomeres You can partially build it back up. For proving this “mysterious” property telomeres in 2009 the Nobel Prize was awarded to American scientists Elizabeth Blackburn Carol Greider And Jack Szostak. Our superbody contains an enzyme - telomerase, which, in fact, lengthens our telomeres. Telomerase can now be thought of as the anti-aging “cream” produced by our superbody. It is this that provides the “extra-expensive” “youth from within” effect. The work of this “cream” is enhanced significantly if we know how to manage stress and switch to anti-aging foods.

How Liz Jones grew her telomeres

Famous journalist Liz Jones shared her story of how she aged a whole decade in just a couple of years. “Never, never, never repeat my mistake!” Liz says to us. Liz(full name - Elizabeth Ann Jones) - British journalist, Russian version of Ksyusha Sobchak in a “diluted form”.

She worked for The Sunday Times and the Evening Standard and was editor of Marie Claire. He currently writes columns for the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, and writes for High Life Magazine. A few years ago Liz was awarded the "Observer of the Year" prize.

Liz they read with enthusiasm, follow her life, love and hate her, consider her a talented journalist, but a difficult person. She writes about the injustices of the world, about the fashion industry, about poor animals, about various social problems, and knowledgeably brings to light Kim Kardashian And Victoria Beckham.

That Liz care about the issues of “eternal youth”, no one could even think! So, Jones started talking about aging, about how she was suddenly covered by a “wave of aging”, and how she “reflected” this wave. At that time Liz turned 57 years old. She led a vibrant lifestyle: in demand on all fronts, a lot of readers, awards, “huge plans.” In this situation, aging seemed like a pure abstraction. She was happy with everything, not even her deteriorating appearance. Decorative cosmetics and a child's view of the world were her main tools for rejuvenation at that time.

But at some point everything went wrong. Liz divorced with husband. She wanted intellectual romance - to move from London to a small town and write books among the pastoral hills. Taking out a large loan Liz purchased a huge house with a plot of land. But soon the house seemed too big and uncomfortable, the climate too damp and cold, and life too lonely and terrible. But the biggest problem was repaying the loan. The distance from parents, friends and work colleagues also made itself felt. She lost her appetite, sleep, and even the ability to relax.

But the peak of the crisis came when Liz Due to a car breakdown, I was late for an important business meeting. And then the nervous “spring” shot! “I felt that I had reached the limit: I couldn’t live like this anymore, I couldn’t even breathe - and I burst into tears! After an hour of waiting for help, I accidentally looked in the rearview mirror - a tow truck was approaching me. Oh no! Oh God! My heart sank! An old, shabby woman with a saggy, gray face and huge bags under her eyes looked at me from the mirror.

Instantly the realization came - my wrong choice, my cognitive “glitches” attracted old age! In just three years I have aged so much!”

“To correct the situation!” - in such an impulse Liz simply rushed to the writer Thea Singer, which at that moment had just released the book “Reducing Stress - Rejuvenating Body and Soul.” The book was about super research conducted by two very talented women - the already mentioned Elizabeth Blackburn(Nobel laureate) and Elissa Ebel(leading psychiatrist). The importance of this work is difficult to overestimate. The authors associate our aging with stress and suggest how, by managing stress and lifestyle, we can “repair” our appearance and rejuvenate all systems of the body.

This is especially important for women, since due to their increased emotionality they are more susceptible to stress than men. “Moreover, women begin to face inevitable colossal stress at the age of 40+. The body begins to undergo hormonal changes, older children begin to rebel, elderly parents begin to get sick, husbands undergo a midlife crisis, and age-related competition intensifies in career terms. Stress is consumed by unhealthy food, and the circle closes.

Stress especially accelerates our progress. When my daughter became a teenager, our relationship deteriorated. For me it turned out to be a stressful “tsunami”. Caring for sick parents is almost always the burden of women! In women caring for sick children or parents, telomeres shorten dramatically. But they increase as soon as women enter a period of positivity and mental well-being,” says Thea Singler.

That same “secret” cream

“My mom didn’t go to the gym, didn’t get hair removal, didn’t drive a car, and didn’t know how to sign a check until my dad died. She always looked fit, elegant and well-groomed, unlike modern housewives who do not work, who for some reason constantly lack time. It’s amazing that my mother kept her house in brilliant condition, despite the fact that she did almost all the work by hand, and today’s housewives with a million gadgets don’t have time to do anything,” jokes Liz, and continues, “Mom was in balance! She and her working friends had no idea about the level of stress we live with today. They moved a lot, worked in the garden, rode bicycles...”

It has been proven that active movement quickly removes stress hormones from the blood, which means DNA is not damaged and telomeres are not shortened. It is stress hormones that shorten telomeres. This is why fitness is so important!

When stressed, the hormone cortisol is released into the blood, which “shreds” telomeres, and, therefore, accelerates aging. But it’s not only “bad” stress that ages you; “good” stress also wears you out, during which the hormone adrenaline is released into the blood. An exciting meeting, a long-awaited event, a wedding, moving to a new place... - all this causes exciting feelings and is considered good stress. We get a surge of energy, our tone rises. But if the delight does not leave us for a long time, the adrenaline does not decrease, we become exhausted and wither. It is necessary to cool down and come into balance.

Balance, coupled with deep mental well-being, “builds up” telomeres, and aging is inhibited. We are blooming again!

Now Liz Jones can be called an expert on long youth. She already manages stress quite well and can give a whole lecture about the distortions of our brain. Actually, our cognitive distortions in most cases lead to stress: we make mistakes. Liz has become more resilient to stress. Caught in a traffic jam, she smiles and turns on the music. Takes a chelated form that stimulates telomere growth. We get chelated vitamins from food, and not from pharmaceutical preparations. With friends Liz who, like herself, take Omega-3 from flax seeds, have longer telomeres than those who do not.

“There is no escape from stress - it is an indispensable part of our lives, but we need to react to them in a new way. You need to constantly increase your resistance to stress,” says Liz, - “At some point we begin to make terrible mistakes and drive ourselves into stress.” Today there are already a lot of techniques for stress resistance. And also Liz combines telephone conversations and TV series with home fitness or dancing. And he does it with great pleasure. “The key word here is with pleasure,” she clarifies.

Typically, women in the gym have tense faces and necks. This suggests that girls in pursuit of a super body exercise without pleasure. In this case, bad stress hormones are released into the blood. Our poor telomeres! But it should be the other way around - if exercise brings pleasure, then positive hormones will be released into the blood.

And, of course, sleep! Like the most powerful regulator super bodies, he, for his part, never fails if we do not oppose him.

Is it worth trying new extension drugs? telomere?

Today, the best laboratories in the world are looking for artificial solutions to build telomeres, and clinical studies are underway. Such solutions have even appeared on the market. Many scientists advise not to rush into purchasing a drug with an unpredictable effect. The fact is that molecular medicine is a relatively young field. Relatively little time has passed since the search for artificial extensions began. telomere. Medications take a long time to be tested. Not much knowledge has yet been accumulated about the intricacies of this process.

It is more prudent to rely on a proven, natural path, which has been wisely laid down in our body since the beginning of time. This is what we are advised by scientists from the University of California at San Francisco, who conducted a study on the natural lengthening of telomeres. Over five years, people who switched to a healthy diet, walked at least 30 minutes a day in the fresh air, did a set of light exercises, and did not stress, telomere length increased by an average of 10%. For those who led a normal lifestyle, telomeres were reduced.

Conclusion: Without knowing anything about our telomeres, we cause ourselves colossal harm - we literally drag our old age down by the ears. The longer our telomeres, the longer we stay young and healthy. Telomeres shortened by stress and unhealthy food, and lengthened again by mental well-being, positivity and a rejuvenating, healthy diet.

In our super tele Super tools for rejuvenation have already been laid down without risks and expenses. But possessing these tools still has its price, which lies, first of all, in a change in thinking, without which we cannot achieve either stress resistance or a healthy lifestyle. How can you change your thinking? Let's first get acquainted with the list of our cognitive (brain) breakdowns, which I will try to present in the near future. And if we, according to the principle of “small steps every day,” do something for the “better version of ourselves,” our super body will not let you down.

An organism is considered to have the ability of cells to divide only a specific number of times. Each time after this, the human DNA is shortened. Telomeres provide protection to genes. They are the terminal sections of chromosomes that become smaller with each division.

Telomeres protect the main DNA fragment from damage during replication. When they run out, cells are unable to divide. However, some of them do not face such problems. This is due to the presence of another enzyme in their composition - telomerase. It lengthens telomeres all the time. Such features are characteristic of cancer and stem cells.

Telomeres are located at the 4 ends of chromosomes and resemble the ends of shoelaces. These elements prevent the chromosome ends from sticking together. They also help avoid sticking to other chromosomes. When this process is disrupted, cells die or transform into tumors. As cells divide, telomerase ends shorten. As a result, cells stop dividing. These changes are genetic and epigenetic. This means that they depend on hereditary predisposition and the influence of external factors.

The maintenance and regeneration of telomeres depends on the activity of telomerase. By stimulating enzyme synthesis, telomere depletion can be prevented. Underneath them are the so-called death genes. They cause apoptosis. This process manifests itself in the form of death of cellular elements. This process is considered natural and inevitable. However, numerous scientific studies have shown that in some people the process of telomere shortening is too rapid. This causes serious pathologies and premature aging.

This means that there are certain differences between physiological age and the real number. Tissues can be older or younger compared to the person himself. The more telomeres shorten, the faster the aging process occurs.

Telomere protection methods

The synthesis of the enzyme telomerase, which can lengthen telomeres, also decreases as the body ages. However, today there are medications that help correct this process. However, they are not publicly available and are used quite rarely.

To preserve telomerase endings, lifestyle modification is necessary. According to scientific research, people who meditate frequently are less likely to experience stress and inflammation. Fans of meditation usually have longer chromosome ends than people who do not engage in such practices.

It is worth considering that chronic inflammation provokes a decrease in telomerase activity and accelerates the shortening of telomere ends. This is due to a violation of pH, the behavior of interleukins and other processes in the body.

If a person wants to stop aging and prolong longevity, he needs to start treating chronic inflammation in the body. To do this, it is necessary to promptly eliminate dental caries, prostatitis, inflammation in the intestines, periodontal disease, and gynecological pathologies.

Ways to lengthen telomeres

Telomerase is subject to certain effects. Activation of the enzyme is achieved with the help of estrogen. The amount of data increases during pregnancy. Therefore, women with many children are usually characterized by a long telomere length. This feature is one of the justifications for longer life expectancy in women.

Another mechanism that contributes to telomere lengthening is considered to be a decrease in caloric intake. There is evidence that reducing the amount of calories consumed by only 10% of the usual norm helps to increase life expectancy by 5 years. At the same time, overeating and significant excess weight reduces the length of telomeres.

Daily walking is considered an effective method for lengthening telomeres. Their duration should be at least 40 minutes. Another effective way to activate telomerase synthesis is considered to be increasing the level of vitamin D. According to numerous studies, the amount of the substance at 100 mg/l increases the length of telomeres by 19%. Telomerase synthesis is activated by coenzyme Q10 and resferatrol. Vitamin C, omega-3, and other antioxidants are responsible for this process.

Do you need to activate telomerase synthesis?

There is an opinion that activation of telomerase production can lead to negative consequences. This is due to the fact that this enzyme prevents the death of tumor cells. But this does not apply to lifestyle correction. By consuming omega-3 foods, telomerase synthesis is stimulated in healthy cells. At the same time, the production of the substance in abnormal cells, on the contrary, slows down.

Therefore, the use of medications to activate telomerase synthesis is carried out in the presence of strict indications - for example, in the development of oncological pathologies. At the same time, lifestyle correction cannot provoke negative consequences. Therefore, doctors advise consuming healthy ones, treating inflammation in a timely manner and coping with the effects of stress factors on the body.

Healthy foods

There are foods that stimulate telomerase activity. These include the following:

• salmon;
• avocado;
• eggs;
• green tea;
• meat;
• legumes;
• blueberry;
• garlic;
• grapefruit.

To reduce the severity of inflammatory changes in the body and improve cell nutrition, you need to eat foods that contain a lot of zinc. These include beef liver and oysters. It is also worth eating wheat products. To reduce the impact of stress factors, it is useful to consume magnesium. It is present in green vegetables, legumes, and vegetable oils. The substance also includes chocolate and whole grain cereals.

E should be used as antioxidants. The element is present in avocados, nuts, and vegetable oils. Omega-3 fatty acids are important. These substances are found in seafood. In addition, grapes and tea contribute to the stimulation of telomerase synthesis due to the presence of polyphenols. It is definitely worth adding to food, which has an anti-inflammatory effect.

It is very useful to eat food with vitamin A. This substance is present in pumpkin, carrots, and tomatoes. It is also found in spinach and bell pepper. Vitamin D is also important. This substance is found in cod liver, herring, and sardines. These elements have a beneficial effect on the nervous system and the structure of bone tissue.

To prevent premature aging, it is necessary to consume amino acids. It is especially important to do this in the evenings. This is due to active cell division over time. Thanks to these features, peptides can restore damaged telomeres. You should eat protein foods for dinner 5 times a week. If a person plays sports, protein should be present in the daily diet. In this case, you need to have dinner 3 hours before bedtime. The amount of food in the evening should not exceed 2/3 of lunch.

In this way, telomerase activity can be increased. Improved enzyme function and increased telomere length are associated with moderate physical activity. This is also facilitated by vitamins and polyunsaturated fats, which are present in healthy foods.

Doctors claim that the length of telomeres in people who are used to leading a healthy lifestyle is much longer. This cannot be said about those who drink a lot of alcoholic beverages, smoke, do not control their weight and do not lead an active lifestyle. A rapid decrease in telomere length is observed under the influence of stress factors and viral infections.

Use of a telomerase activator

Since the emergence of the telomere-telomerase theory of aging, the search began for a drug that can stimulate telomerase synthesis and slow down age-related changes. As a result, a large US biotechnology company, Geron Inc, managed to find a molecule that became the basis of the first telomerase activator, called TA-65.

Features of the composition

This molecule was obtained from the rhizome of Astragalus membranaceus. This medicinal plant has been used in Chinese medicine for the prevention of cancer since ancient times. The composition of this product includes more than 2000 molecules. However, only one can activate telomerase. It was called TA-65.

The process of obtaining and purifying this molecule is quite labor-intensive and multi-step. The substance not only needs to be distinguished from the rest, but also to be purified from impurities as efficiently as possible. The molecule and the method for its preparation have been patented. To obtain the minimum volume of TA-65, you need to process approximately 5-6 tons of raw materials. Therefore, the dose of the active component, which is in one capsule, can be equal to several liters of extract.

To achieve lasting results, you need to use the product for at least 3 months. Therefore, it will not be possible to replace the drug with the use of several liters of ordinary extract.

Mechanism of action

Upon penetration into the systemic bloodstream, the molecule enters the cell and activates the functions of the gene, which is responsible for the temporary activation of telomerase. Thanks to this, the enzyme begins to form the terminal zones of chromosomes. This is achieved by adding nucleotide bases. By increasing telomeres, the cell gains a new ability to divide and function. Thus her life continues. We can say that cells are transformed from aging to young and active. This process affects the functioning of the entire body.

When a person stops using TA-65, the enzyme telomerase decreases its activity again. This means that the stimulation of the element is temporary and controlled. The maximum volume of the active component in the blood is reached 3 hours after administration of the substance. Studies of the drug were carried out on cells, animals and humans. The first category of experiments helped prove that adding TA-65 to the structure of cells extends their life cycle and allows them to cope with the Hayflick limit.

The first evidence of the reversibility of age-related processes in mammals under the influence of TA-65 was presented in 2011. The publication appeared in the journal The Nature. The mice on which the experiments were carried out had short telomeres. They were characterized by minimal telomerase activity. The rodents had DNA lesions, severe brain damage and degenerative processes in organs. As a result, they experienced reproductive dysfunction and premature aging. The lifespan of the animals did not exceed 43 weeks.

At 30-35 weeks, the scientists injected the rodents with a telomerase activator every day. This therapy was carried out for 1 month. As a consequence, life expectancy increased to approximately 80 weeks. The use of the drug contributed to the lengthening of telomeres, restoration of telomerase activity and reduction of DNA damage in chromosomes. Also, the TA-65 activator provided a reduction in degenerative organ damage. At the same time, the spleen, brain, intestines, and testicles suffered.

Thanks to the use of the substance, the reproductive capabilities of rodents were restored. This helped to achieve noticeable rejuvenation of the mice. However, none of the animals experienced the development of malignant tumors. Thus, TA-65 can be called the first telomerase activator that has proven efficacy and safety. Thanks to the use of the substance, it is possible to achieve cell rejuvenation by stimulating telomerase.

Lengthening telomeres allows you to increase healthy life expectancy. The use of the substance provides a person with vital energy for many years. Thanks to this, it is possible to stop the aging process from the inside and remain active at any age.

Advantages of the drug

Activator TA-65 is a natural remedy, the effectiveness of which has been confirmed by numerous studies. Thanks to its use, it is possible to stimulate telomerase activity and trigger the restoration of short telomeres in the body. This helps to significantly slow down the aging process.

Due to cell rejuvenation with the use of TA-65, it is possible to obtain the following effects:

• reduce the likelihood of age-related diseases;
• reduce the risk of developing cancer;
• increase skin elasticity;
• improve the functioning of the immune system;
• maintain normal cognitive functions;
• normalize the condition of hair and nails;
• maintain normal sexual energy;
• improve visual acuity;
• increase the density of bone structures.

Telomeres and telomerase are important elements on which age-related changes in the body directly depend. To stop the aging process, you can use the TA-65 activator, which has many advantages.

The famous American scientist Bill Andrews is close to creating a drug that slows down cell aging. The drug works through telomerase, an enzyme that Bill discovered with his research group. The scientist also runs and, at 62, completed the most difficult ultramarathon in the Himalayas - which is 222 kilometers without stopping in thin mountain air. T&P talked to him about health, sports and old age, the onset of which can be delayed without pills.

Your developments are based on the study of telomeres and telomerase. What is it and how does it work?

Telomeres are the ends of our chromosomes. In living nature, chromosomes contain DNA molecules with genetic information that determines the color of hair, eyes and everything else. Each such molecule is like a long chain of records, or “bases.” There are hundreds of millions of them on each chromosome. In fact, the DNA molecule is like a shoelace, and telomeres are like the caps at the ends. Over the past 30 years, we have learned that these telomeres shrink with age, and we have shown that short telomeres are associated with almost every conceivable disease that a person can get as they age. We are now trying to restore the length of telomeres in a living cell, or at least slow down the process of their shortening. We have published hundreds of publications in scientific journals about how they relate to human health. We don't know exactly what is the cause and what is the effect, but most of the research shows that shrinking telomeres causes disease, and not vice versa.

I led a research group that discovered an enzyme called telomerase, which is responsible for maintaining the length of these chromosome regions. Telomerase is produced only in our gametes: children are born with long telomeres, and then, with age, the process of their shortening begins. We took telomerase, introduced it into other human cells in a Petri dish and saw that the cells became younger and the telomeres in them grew. A second group of scientists at the same company later placed these cells on the backs of laboratory mice and noticed that the skin in these areas became young again. This suggests that the mechanisms of aging can be reversed.

Following these discoveries, a third team at Harvard, led by Dr. Ronald de Pino, used gene therapy techniques to lengthen the short telomeres of old mice. When they did this, they saw that within a few weeks the mice became young again. This saved them from many age-related diseases. We don't know 100% whether restoring telomeres can treat disease, but I'm 99% sure it can, based on a lot of scientific publications. Still, we want to know for sure before we create pills for people. In addition, the techniques used in mice are not suitable for humans: not because of telomerase, but because of the side effects of the gene therapy itself.

My company tests chemicals and adds them to human cells in petri dishes, looking for what will trigger the production of telomerase. Among hundreds of thousands of “contenders,” we found natural substances that Isagenix now uses to produce its products. In addition, in South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and China, there are skin cosmetics whose effect is based on the action of telomerase - although here synthetic substances are used for production. We conducted clinical studies on this cream and found it to be the most effective anti-wrinkle and skin elasticity treatment we've ever reviewed. Unfortunately, we have not studied the effect of this cream on wounds, although users say that it heals them.

In general, there is a hypothesis that the entire aging process has not always existed. This is true?

I believe that aging is a recent invention of evolution. There are still creatures on our planet who lack this mechanism - or, in any case, we do not notice it. These are lobsters, turtles, bivalves, some whales, fish and birds. In all these animals, telomerase is constantly produced in the cells, and telomeres do not shorten.

All this was discovered recently because people have never really been interested in how long animals live. Most animals cannot be judged of their age and do not have growth rings or wrinkles. You can only find a newborn animal, place some device on it and observe. In some cases, even after many years, the animal does not show any signs of aging.

Charles Darwin, for example, had a tortoise named Harietta who died suddenly at about 180 years of age - but it was not due to old age. There are turtles that were born more than two hundred years ago and are still alive. Recently, fishermen caught a bowhead whale, on whose skin they found a harpoon made 130 years ago. And bivalves have stripes on their shells, each of which grows within a year - and now people find mollusks older than five hundred years. All this happens because their telomeres do not become shorter, and telomerase is produced in all cells of the body. Such animals also rarely develop severe diseases, including cancer.

The question arises: why did the aging process appear in nature? I think there's a great theoretical explanation for this. The purpose of evolution is to help us adapt to changes in our environment. Over the past two thousand years, we have been able to succeed in this and have become quite intelligent. What allows us to do this is our ability to shuffle genes: when two people or animals produce offspring, they create a variant that has never existed on the planet before. This is how we continuously improve our ability to adapt to change and improve the chances of survival of the species into the future - through new children and new generations.

However, if old people do not grow old, but remain healthy and wise, young people cannot compete with them - neither for food, nor for brides and everything else. As a result, genes are shuffled less frequently. That is, the species survives better if old creatures are killed. There is no advantage to living a long life after you have raised children: when they become adults, you become their competitor.

Mechanistically, however, aging varies in nature: mice, for example, become frail due to oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease. There are twenty different theories about why we age. I can't believe any of them, but I see that they all view dying as a process of cell combustion. The question is when and how this process starts. I suppose that today evolution is “working out” its different variants. Perhaps hundreds of thousands of years ago aging did not exist, because there was no need to worry about competition with descendants: everyone could find a place for themselves anyway.

Scientists have found that only humans and other primates, as well as dogs, cats, horses, sheep, bears and pigs, age due to telomere shortening. For other living beings, this process is structured differently, or it simply does not exist. Interestingly, most of the animals I listed above were domesticated. This makes me wonder if domestication, when hunting and defending themselves was no longer necessary, may have caused them to create a new mechanism for aging during the genetic evolution of the species. At the same time, we also domesticated rabbits or mice, and yet they do not age due to shortening of telomeres.

People still want to live a long time - with or without offspring. There are scientists who say that the human body is designed to last 100 or even 120 years. Is it so?

Three independent studies in recent years have confirmed that human life expectancy is increasing. And in all cases the maximum age was calculated to be 125 years. Today we no longer live to be 20, like the ancient Romans, and we no longer live to be 45, like the people of the Middle Ages: our average age at death is about 80 years. However, the maximum life expectancy has not increased at all since ancient times.

Telomere shortening explains this perfectly. If we place human cells in a Petri dish, we see that their length decreases by about 5,200 bases in one year. At the moment of birth, the length of telomeres is 10 thousand bases, and 125 years after that - 5 thousand. And this is provided that we lead a perfectly healthy lifestyle. However, we don’t do this: we smoke, gain excess weight, neglect exercise, and experience stress.

Once we find a way to slow down the process of telomere shortening, stop it altogether, or even lengthen short telomeres again, this will allow people to live longer than 125 years. The oldest person on the planet is currently 116 years old, so at best it will be at least another eight years before we can test the theory. And we don’t yet have a cure for old age. There are only things like Isagenix products, although we expect people who use them to live over 125 years.

“I want to prove that I or anyone else can live beyond 125 years. There's no point in living long if you don't live fully."

I perceive old age as a disease from which we all suffer, and I am looking for a cure for it. A lot of people, especially at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), don't like me calling it that. But when I run one mile (1.6 km) in seven minutes at the age of 100, they will start talking about old age that way too. I want to prove that I or anyone else can live beyond 125 years. There is no point in living long if you do not live fully. I want to be able to show that you can be young and healthy at 130 years old. When I or anyone else has completed this task, I will say: everyone must now agree that old age is a disease and it can be cured.

You said that your biological age is now almost 20 years behind your actual age.

Yes, at age 60 I took tests from Life Length, where doctors measured the length of my telomeres. They determined that my biological age is 42 years old. A week after this, Terry Grossman's laboratory sent results from other, non-telomere-related tests. They also determined my age to be 42. To be honest, as a child I imagined 60-year-old people to be completely different, and it’s an amazing feeling.

I take into account all the theories of aging that exist today and do everything I can: I lead a healthy lifestyle, include antioxidants, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids in my diet, exercise, try to reduce stress and the amount of junk in my life and be optimist. The main thing to know is that death most often occurs only when telomeres become shorter: chromosomes, in fact, simply begin to split at the ends. This process is likely to cause many diseases: cancer, cardiovascular pathologies, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis and muscle wasting.

You run a lot. What does it take to start running?

To start running, you need to walk. Walking is just as good as running - it just takes longer. “Get up and go” is what they say at my favorite running coaching group, Desert Sky Adventures. Most people who start walking a lot, at least six days a week, after a month or two can no longer stop themselves from running. The body becomes more energetic, joints work better. By the way, I first encountered pain in them when I took a break from running. But every time I return to this activity, the pain goes away, and after two to three weeks only pleasure remains.

What are the benefits of running?

It's surprising, but putting a mouse on a treadmill every day and training its endurance will shorten its life. When running, a lot of free radicals appear in the body, which are very harmful to the mouse body. Mice have a terrible free radical problem - an oxidative stress problem - that causes them to age and die. However, things are different for people. Both humans and mice have antioxidants that scavenge free radicals. However, in mice their levels are very low: 10 times lower than in humans. When people stress themselves during endurance exercise, they, like mice, produce a lot of free radicals inside their bodies - but their antioxidant levels spike, resulting in lower levels of oxidative stress than when they don't exercise.

There are scientific publications that say that the more you train endurance, the longer your telomeres. I was leery of this 25 years ago, but am now surprised at how many 80-year-olds want to run 100 miles and forget they're old. They are active like teenagers and they are very good runners. When I was running my first 100 miles, a 75-year-old woman told me she would run alongside me to show me how to behave in ultramarathons. When we reached 85 miles, she remarked, “You seem to be doing well. I'll step on the gas, see you later." She rushed forward and beat me by half an hour. There was no way I could compete with her. She's 90 now and still runs. My biological age is still 42 years old now, and I started running ultramarathons 26 years ago, when I was 38 or 39.

Which of your ultramarathons was the most difficult?

La Ultra The High in the Himalayas, Northern India. There are other challenging ultramarathons around the world, such as the summer's 135-mile Badwater, in Death Valley, at 54 degrees Celsius. I ran it twice, but it wasn't half as hard as La Ultra. The highest points of its route are at an altitude of 5.5 km above sea level, the lowest - at an altitude of 3.3 km. When I took part in this ultramarathon, the length of the route was 222 km. Non-stop.

I was one of three runners who participated in the race in its first year. Then the government was sure that it was impossible to overcome this distance in such conditions; not a single person could cope with it. Organizers sent out invitations to 25 runners who had already tried routes like Badwater, and 22 of them declined. On the appointed day, there were only three people at the starting line - and two, including me and my wife Molly Sheridan, ended up in the hospital. Only one guy from Great Britain finished, barely making it on time. My wife returned to La Ultra The High after a year to finish it, and I returned two years later. Molly became the first American woman and the second oldest person on the list of runners to do this, and I was the oldest.

The first year I had a gallstone attack at mile 50. I thought I was going to die. I didn’t have altitude sickness, but in the second year of the ultramarathon, many athletes had to quit the race because of it. I'm really looking forward to another opportunity to take part in La Ultra The High. Now the distance is 333 km and I want to run them. So far, only one person has managed to complete this distance.

You are a fighter.

No, I think it's just fun, it's an adventure. I can’t live without adventures, and the best way to get involved in them is to be on the move. The documentary film “The High”, in which my wife starred, will be released soon. This picture clearly shows that such competitions are, first of all, communication.

Is your work in medicine like a marathon?

When I started the company, I said to myself, “This is my new ultramarathon.” I spent 100% of my time on it, barely ran for several years and ended up gaining 45 kg. I started having all the problems that are usually associated with being overweight, and my doctor said, “Get back to your ultramarathons or you’ll die.” I started running again, and now I have no plans to stop. I've set my priorities and try to stay in good shape. This is no good: curing humanity of old age and dying due to health problems, so that then everyone except myself will enjoy the fruits of my work. I am confident that there will be a drug that will increase our lifespan by lengthening telomeres and reversing aging. I think we will have this medicine in three years.

Why after three?

Because we have gone beyond our past achievements and are making new discoveries. First, we found a substance that allowed us to produce 1% of monotelomerase in cells, which was necessary to stop the process of shortening telomere length. Then we discovered other substances and got to 5%. Then they started working in the field of medicinal chemistry and rose to 60%. We recently assessed our progress and saw that in a year it will be 100% if we find a source of unlimited funding. However, we don't have it yet. So we think with the funds that I hope we will soon receive, it will take us three years.

To make this drug in the US, we will have to test on animals. I would really like to avoid this, but unfortunately they are required by FDA regulations. Perhaps we will develop a product that can be sold in other countries, and then such trials will not be necessary. Frankly, I don't think they are needed: all the animals on which drugs are legally required to be tested do not age due to shortening of telomere length. The main animal in this area is the mouse, and in its case we will not be able to see anything. There are, of course, those Harvard mice, and maybe we can do tests on them. But the problem is that even in these mice, the mechanism for producing telomerase is very different from that of humans. It was created artificially, and there is a possibility that the medicine will not work. So, once everything is ready, we will probably try to enter the market outside the US. I work a lot with South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and China and I know that it is easier to do it there. Of course, it’s not nice to think about commerce here, but for people to be able to use the tool, there must be access to it. I believe that at first there will be many people for whom such medicine will be vital.

Every time someone dies, I think it's our failure. I want this to end as soon as possible. I don’t know what laws regulate the production of drugs in Russia, but I think it would be great if this drug appeared in your country too.

Russian biochemist Vladimir Skulachev is also developing anti-aging drugs. I talked to him five years ago, but then he didn't mention telomeres.

Telomeres are a fairly recent idea. We didn’t tell anyone about our research until 2008, and then, due to funding difficulties, we decided to present it to the public. Then the economic crisis began, and all my investors lost the opportunity to invest in the project. We were the first to work in this area and achieved success, so our developments received a wide response. But even today, 99% of people know nothing about telomeres. And yet I think they are associated with one of the biggest breakthroughs in the field of medicine. People have been talking about a cure for old age and eternal youth for thousands of years, and today no one pays attention to this topic, but this is about to change. Once big discoveries happen, people will begin to move away from old ideas and see that this is now real science.

Why do you so want to conquer old age and death?

I love to live. I want to do this for as long as I can. My father changed terribly in his old age due to Alzheimer's disease, and my mother became disabled. Father needs the help of nurses, mother is close to this. I don't want to go through this and I don't want to see anyone else go through it. It's not just a matter of old age - it's a matter of illness. They are the main reason why people do not want to live long. Scientists have already done so much to increase the duration of human life, but have not yet been able to significantly increase the duration of its healthy period. As a result, many people have to undergo heart surgery, coronary bypass surgery, chemotherapy and other procedures to help them survive. In 20 years, about 40% of the world's population will be over 65 years old. There will be a lot of old people in the world, especially in China, South Korea and the USA. Russia will also face this problem. In all these countries there will be an enormous need for medical care. So when students ask me which specialty to choose, I say nursing. This is the number one profession of the future, which will be the most in demand and highly paid in the world.

And yet we don’t need old people lying in hospitals, needing someone else’s care. I want people over 60 to dance, play tennis and enjoy their free time. They must be healthy. That is why you need to think more about the duration of a healthy period of life than about its duration as a whole. When its boundaries become wider, its lifespan will increase as well.

I want people to live for a very long time, perhaps several hundred years, without showing signs of decline. And yet we do not call cells without shortened telomeres immortal. Telomerase will not save humanity from death. People will still die in car accidents or on train tracks, and there will still be diseases in the world - after all, not all of them, not even all cancers, arise from shortening telomeres. However, on average things will change a lot. We will see many people who are de facto old and at the same time very young biologically.

Why do you love life so much?

I love adventure. I love nature, discoveries captivate me. I can't wait for people to discover life on other planets. I want to be here when it happens and be part of the research as we try to find out what these living things are. There are so many discoveries ahead, and I want to be a part of them. I am fascinated by the study of the ocean on Earth and the DNA of the creatures that live in it.

Growing up, my siblings were just as passionate about science and medicine as I was. When I was 10, I dreamed of having a telescope so I could look at the stars. I got a toy telescope for Christmas that year, and it upset me so much that I burst into tears. My parents were so shocked by how seriously I took it all that they bought me the mirror telescope I wanted. It was 2.5 meters long, 200 mm in diameter. An unthinkable gift for a 10 year old. Every night I hung out in the yard, looking at Jupiter and its moons, Saturn and its rings, and constantly running into the house, calling my parents and brothers and sisters to look at them too. There, near the telescope, my father once said to me: “You are so passionate about science and medicine. You should become a doctor when you grow up and find a cure for old age.” I've been obsessed with this for 53 years now. Every time I think: “God, what a great idea!”

I love life because you can learn anything. That's the whole point of adventure. What's around the next corner, what's going to happen in a few years? This is why I find it easy to run 100 mile marathons. I always want to go further and see what's there. I'm so focused on what's ahead that I lose track of time. Sometimes running 100 miles seems so easy and takes so little time. You know, the marathon route is sometimes circular, and sometimes linear, when the finish point is completely different from the starting point. Last time it was like this; I ran to the finish line, and we drove back to the start by car, and I was shocked by how far they were from each other. I didn't feel it at all while running.

You get so much more adventure when you get up and move forward. You can find yourself where no one can go, see an untouched landscape. At some ultramarathons, food and water can only be obtained if a helicopter brings it. I cannot live without such competitions.

And I like to communicate with people. Every time I meet someone it's a new adventure. I think if I ever get tired of living, it will only be if I lose my health and someone has to take care of me. This has never happened to me before, and I am doing everything to prevent this from happening. Surprisingly, caring for someone in this way also causes telomeres to shorten. Research is now being carried out with the participation of people who are professionally involved in this, and the organizers were able to find out that illness or old age, in fact, has a bad effect not only on the patient, but also on his assistants.

By the way, you seem to be criticized by Christians - mainly for trying to change the duration of human life.

No, actually, it's funny, but we discovered that this is not the case. One of our most enthusiastic potential investors right now is Catholic Hospital. And other representatives of the Catholic Church even wrote an entire chapter for my book, Curing Aging. They explained why this could be part of the plan of creation. According to the Bible, God drove people out of Eden, and one of the qualities we lost after that was immortality. We began to grow old after the fall, and God wants us to one day get rid of this and regain our eternal life.

You had to go through many difficult moments in search of investment and recognition in the scientific world. What keeps you going?

The most difficult thing in such work is financing. I lost it so many times: there was no money even for employee salaries. But each time I managed to somehow escape by taking the rabbit out of the hat at the last moment. What keeps me going is my belief in what we are doing. She is very strong. When I think about how we might fail because of money, I realize that no one will continue to do our work for us. I'm just afraid that if we lose, in 300-400 years someone will realize we were right and I'll end up in a history book saying, "Bill Andrews did it 400 years ago but couldn't finish the job." because of money problems." This depresses me so much! My only goal in life is to conduct research and prove that increasing the length of telomeres significantly increases life expectancy and the duration of its healthy period. Perhaps there are other reasons for aging. But our discoveries should give me another 20-30 years of life before I can find out. If we put together all the research that is currently being done, we will see that we can soon achieve immortality. The hope is that this will happen while our generation is still alive - especially if we can extend our stay here thanks to telomerase.

Scientists have been trying for centuries to understand what determines human life expectancy and how to increase it. Geneticists and doctors are studying methods, and recently scientists have even discovered the unusual influence of the Sun on. However, the only indisputable fact in biogerontology is the dependence of the aging processes of the body on the state of telomeres - the end sections of chromosomes. The larger the latter, the longer and better a person will live.

Previously, scientists have already demonstrated that a healthy lifestyle and therefore prolong the life of the patient. However, now a team from Stanford University has shown how external medical intervention can be used to directly enlarge the ends of chromosomes.

The researchers conducted an experiment in which they cultured human cells and increased their telomeres. As a result, the main group of cells behaved as if they were young longer, multiplying inside the Petri dish, while the control group, on which the new technique was not tested, quickly began to age and fade.

The new technology involves the use of modified RNA and allows larger numbers of cells to be cultured for drug testing experiments. Scientists were able to divide skin cells with elongated telomeres (into two new cells) 40 times more than normal cells that were not subjected to therapy. In the case of muscle cells, the culture tripled compared to the control group.

In previous studies, scientists have found that telomeres in young people have a length equivalent to 8-10 thousand nucleotides. As we grow and age, these “caps” shrink and at some point reach a critical length - that’s when the cell stops dividing and dies.

“We have found a new method that allows us to lengthen human telomeres by as much as a thousand nucleotides, which means, in fact, turning back time. Our development is important not only for research in the field of biogerontology, but also for biologists around the world who work with cell cultures, because this technique can significantly increase the lifespan of cultured cells,” says lead study author Helen Blau, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford.

Modified RNA, which is the main tool of the new technology, transfers instructions from DNA genes into the protein factories of cells. The RNA used in the Stanford experiment contained a sequence encoding the catalytic subunit TERT, the active component of the natural enzyme telomerase (not to be confused with telomeres!).

Telomerase is created in stem cells, including those responsible for the development of sperm and eggs. This process provides biological guarantees that the next generation will be provided with healthy cells with the longest possible telomeres. Most other cell types, however, express much less of the miracle enzyme telomerase.

The technology developed by Stanford scientists has an important advantage over other potential methods - the technique has a temporary effect. At first glance, it seems that this is not a plus, but a minus. But the fact is that uncontrolled cell division in the human body is associated with a huge risk of rapid development of cancer. Blau and her colleagues note in a press release that gradual and stepwise telomere lengthening is much safer than any other analogues.

Muscles of a patient with Duchenne dystrophy, which could potentially be cured using a new technique

The modified RNA in this case is designed to reduce the cell's immune response to treatment and allow the TERT-encoding signal to last longer than normal. However, the RNA itself disappears after 48 hours, after which the elongated telomeres begin to gradually shorten again with each new stage of cell division.

"Our technique has another important advantage. Our experiment was the first time in the history of biomedicine when the introduction of modified RNA did not lead to an immune response against telomerase. Thus, unlike other technologies, ours is non-immunogenic. Without additional risks, we have learned to wrap reversing the aging process that has been occurring for more than ten years in a healthy body,” says Blau, whose work was published in the FASEB Journal.

Scientists also report that the new technique can form the basis not only of technologies for extending the lives of healthy people, but also of therapies designed to treat many genetic diseases.

For example, Blau noticed that telomere length in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy was noticeably shorter than in controls. Thus, scientists, using their technique, will be able to obtain long telomeres, which will help cure a serious illness.

Aging is an integral process of our life. Understanding why we age or what causes aging is a mystery that scientists are still trying to solve. There are many theories on this issue:

• Oxidative stress damages DNA
• Glucose is to blame
• Our cells follow a preprogrammed biological schedule regardless of any other factors.

It's likely a combination of all of these factors, as well as some other reasons that we haven't discovered yet.

The role of telomeres in aging

One theory suggests that the aging process is at least partially related to our telomeres. Telomeres- These are small protective caps on the ends of DNA molecules. Their job is to prevent the ends of the chromosomes from wearing out or sticking to each other, like the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces.

Telomeres also play an important role in ensuring that our DNA is copied correctly when cells divide, but due to a quirk of the DNA replication mechanism, a few nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA) at the very end of the chain are not transferred to the new copy of DNA, resulting in the loss of some genetic information; it's like photocopying the same document, cutting off the last line of text on the page each time. Thus, the DNA strands become shorter and shorter with each cell division.

But the loss of this genetic information is not critical, because telomeres consist of the same sequence of six nucleotides, repeated over and over again, which become shorter as the cell divides; this protects the important part of DNA that carries the genetic code.

Eggs and sperm have an enzyme called telomerase that adds these repeating sequences to the end of the DNA strands, so the telomeres in these cells do not shorten. In other cells, telomerase is less active, causing telomeres to gradually shorten over time.

Telomere shortening is one of the causes of aging because cells can no longer divide when telomeres are too short. Once they reach a critical point, the cell becomes inactive, slowly accumulates damage that it cannot repair, and dies. This limit of cell division is called the Hayflick Limit, after researcher Leonard Hayflick discovered that normal human cells divide approximately 50-52 times.

Telomere lengthening as a cure for old age

A telomere that is too short sends a signal that there is a problem in the DNA. Problematic DNA needs to be repaired rather than continuously copied, so it is important that broken DNA is labeled and quickly repaired by cell repair mechanisms. In this sense, telomeres play an important role in preventing cancer, which is uncontrolled cell division. This is why we can't simply extend the life of our cells by speeding up telomere regeneration with more telomere-producing telomerase: our built-in cancer-fighting systems would no longer function properly.

It turns out that not only the length of the telomere is important, but also the shape and structure of the telomere. Healthy telomeres are formed at the ends of chromosomes, these are neat little loops shaped like a paperclip, the end of which is hidden and securely protected. If you've ever tried to form a loop or knot with a piece of thread, you'll know that as the piece of thread gets shorter and shorter, it becomes increasingly difficult to form it into a loop. It's the same with telomeres.

When this loop unwinds and the end is exposed, an alarm sounds, indicating DNA breakdown. Cell division stops and the cell begins to age; it can no longer respond properly to damage. The subsequent slow decline in function is part of the aging process.

Does this mean that long and healthy telomeres = the key to a long life? We still have a lot to learn before we can answer this question, but at the moment we cannot say with certainty. However, we know that poor lifestyle habits (smoking or UV exposure) can speed up the degradation of our telomeres, so it would be smart for us to take steps to slow down this process.