In 1973, telomeres were discovered. These are sections of DNA that are found at the end of our chromosomes. As cells replicate over our lifetime, these telomeres don’t always get fully replicated, so the telomeres actually shorted in length. Eventually it will get to the stage where the telomeres are very short, cells stop dividing and we die.
Scientists are starting to believe that these telomeres may actually be a good indicator of how long we live. The longer the telomere, the longer we have to go. It’s interesting then that science is also finding some supplements that can increase the length of our telomeres.
e.g. researchers have found that women how take vitamin B12 supplements have longer telomeres than women who don’t. Other nutrients that can influence the length of telomeres include:
- Vitamin D3
- zinc
- iron
- omega-3 fatty acids
- vitamins C
- vitamin E
In an interesting article Dr. Mercola describe the top 12 key nutrients for a longer life.