Youthful looks, your life may depend on it! A recent Danish study of elderly twins demonstrated a connection between longevity and your looks. Those who looked younger than their age, had a lower mortality rate. Looking deeper into this phenomenon it was discovered that the younger looking twin had longer telomeres, the coating on the tips of DNA that determine how soon a cell may die. The longer the telomere the healthier the cell. How can you lengthen your telomeres? Research shows that it is back to basic diet lifestyle advice:
1) Reduce stress levels: Researchers demonstrated that the combination of meditation, walking and a change in diet, lengthened telomeres
2) Eat a healthy diet of whole foods: Telomeres were longest in people eating Vitamin C (citrus, strawberries, red peppers) and Vitamin E (whole grains) rich foods. Combine that with wild salmon, a high quality fish oil supplement, olive oil and green tea and you have a winning combination! Hong Kong researchers found the longest telomeres in men who drank three cups of green tea per day
3) Exercise regularly: sedentary people have shorter telomeres, to the tune of aging someone an extra decade!
4) Oh yes, and quit smoking (2 packs a day x 20 years aged participants by an additional 7.4 years).
Perceived age as clinically useful biomarker of ageing: cohort study
