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Gypsy's Travels


Friday, August 21, 2009

How Long are Your Telomeres?

I just read the most intriguing article in my RN magazine, September 2008....I know, I know, I am running behind.

Telomeres are the little caps at the end of chromosomes, rather like aglets on a shoelace. Our DNA, but not the telomeres, constantly replicates, so the telomeres shorten each time. As we age, the shortened telomeres can no longer keep the DNA from unraveling so the DNA stops dividing and we age. Amazingly, telomeres are longer in people who are physically active. Therefore, some scientists have concluded that exercise can delay aging.

This discovery will probably annoy those who were waiting for a pill to cure aging. On the other hand, exercise can be free and is available to everyone, so there are no excuses. Will the government and health agencies stop encouraging people to exercise when agencies discover that exercise may increase longevity, thus increasing the demands on our health care system? Just think, really exercising and drinking plenty of water could be the long-sought Fountains of Youth.

I am off to Jazzercise....

1 comment:

  1. I read about that on FOX.com a couple of days ago. You know I thought that the reason so many people move to Florida was due to the fountain of youth being there.

    ReplyDelete

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