Healthy Lifestyle Improves Aging Marker

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Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Healthy Lifestyle Improves Aging Marker

Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes at the end of chromosomes. Telomeres have been shown to shorten with age and appear to be the closest marker we have for biological aging. An earlier study showed that obese women and women who smoked both had significantly shorter telomeres than normal-weight women who did not smoke.1 Shorter telomeres are also associated with an increased risk of many different types of cancer. Cells use an enzyme called telomerase to repair and lengthen their telomeres.
A recent study looked at the telomerase activity in the immune cells of 30 men diagnosed with early prostate cancer before and after 3 months on a very-low-fat, near-vegetarian diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These men also took antioxidant and fish oil supplements, exercised, and adopted a variety of stress management techniques. The researchers found that their telomerase activity levels increased by 29% in their immune cells after 3 months.2 An increased in telomerase activity should enable the body?s immune cells to better fight cancer. Another study looked at the connection between BMI and prostate cancer mortality in a group of 2,546 men diagnosed with prostate cancer.Their results showed that the overweight men were nearly 50% more likely to die of their prostate cancer than the normal weight men. The prognosis for the obese men with prostate cancer was even worse with them 2.66 times more likely to die of their prostate cancer than the normal weight men.3Bottom Line: A healthier diet and lifestyle may not only help prevent cancer but growing evidence suggests adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle after the diagnosis of cancer likely slows the progression of the disease and lengthens life expectancy.By James J. Kenney, PhD, RD, FACNReferences:1. Lancet 2005;366:662-42. Lancet Oncology 2008;9:1048-573. Lancet Oncology 2008;9:1039-47
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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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