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How to Stop the Aging Process
by Shin Ohtake on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 • 20 Comments
The science of aging has always been considered controversial. A little like chasing Big Foot or the Lock Ness monster, people are intrigued but no one takes it very seriously…until now. Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, Dr. Carol Greider, and Dr. Jack Szostak were were the scientists who were awarded the Noble Prize for discovering what may in fact be the key to aging. Until recently, the aging process was just an accepted process of human development.
Dr. Blackburn of University of California San Francisco, a cell biologist, has been working in the field of sequencing (or mapping) DNA for some time now and while working under Dr. Joe Gall of Yale University, she discovered a unique feature about the ends of chromosomes, also known as telomeres. She and her colleagues discovered that telomeres play a key role in protecting the chromosomes against degradation during cell division. And perhaps more importantly, they found that an enzyme called “telomerase” is responsible for building telomeres.
How this is related to the aging process:
When telomeres are shortened, cells age. When the telomeres get too short, the cells stop dividing and they die. As you age you start to accumulate dead cells.
* Quoted from NewsGuide.us
According to Dr. Woynarowski, the Chief Medical Education Officer of T.A. Sciences, a company that specializes in Telomere Biology. Telomeres has very important practical application for aging humans.
“Many of the diseases that are associated with aging and that are rampant in our society are associated with shortened telomere segments. These include cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, diabetes and the physical signs of aging- such as wrinkles- to name a few.”
“Some scientists believe that short telomeres actually cause aging and disease. Although this is not a generally accepted theory, it is gaining significant momentum.”
Telomerase is the enzyme that builds telomeres and there is evidence that shows it can help prolong cellular life by keeping telomeres from shortening. Intriguing, right?
Is Telomerase the key to the Holy Grail?
The anti-aging science community has been looking into this enzyme for some time now and a group of scientist from T.A. Sciences have apparently discovered a naturally occurring molecule found in the ancient Chinese herb “Astragalus” that activates the enzyme telomerase. The company has named the compound TA-65.
* Quoted from NewsGuide.us
Woynarowski states, “TA-65 is known as a telomerase activator because it turns on our own pre-existing telomere repair system by activating an enzyme called telomerase. TA-65 seems to help our telomerase find where the shortest telomeres are and targets them to grow longer instead of shorter. By adding length to these critically short segments, we hope to eventually help many conditions that show up as we age. In the end run we’d like to reverse aging or at least slow it down!”
TA-65…that’s the key to immortality? An active ingredient isolated from a Chinese herb. So why don’t we just go get a bunch of astragalus ourselves and eat it until the cows come home? Well, according to the T.A. Science this is the reason:
Normal Astragalus extracts contain thousands of different molecules and little or no TA-65. T.A. Sciences has tested four commonly available Astragalus extracts, and none of them contained any measurable amounts of TA-65.
The refining process begins with 3 tons of plant material harvested from selected farms in one small region in China. In T.A. Sciences’ plant extraction facility, the raw Astragalus root is chopped up and refined. After initial extraction, the base ingredient is further purified and then sent to an outside government testing facility where it is tested for purity, heavy metals, and pesticides. The product is then sent to a FDA certified, state-of-the-art, laboratory for final purification that ends up with 90+% pure TA-65.
...sounds a little contrived to me. Anyway, T.A. Science may hold the proprietary rights to this compound, but there are other natural ways to enhance your telomerase activity without forking over your lifesavings in hopes of attaining everlasting youth.
Previous studies done by Dr. Blackburn showed a direct link between low telomerase activity and physiological and psychological stress. They found that people suffering from stress related diseases all showed low levels of telomerase, as well as shortened telomeres.
But here’s the good news…
A study done by Dr. Ornish and colleagues found that simple lifestyle changes that include exercise, a low-fat vegan diet, and relaxation increased blood levels of telomerase by an average of 29 percent! Not to mention, it was done through natural means as opposed to taking supplements. Go figure! It always comes back to a healthy eating and exercising… Although TA-65 is naturally derived, it’s still a supplement that you take to artificially enhance telomerase activity. And according to Dr. Blackburn, increasing telomerase activity is not always warranted:
* Quoted from the Nobel Prize press release
Most normal cells do not divide frequently, therefore their chromosomes are not at risk of shortening and they do not require high telomerase activity. In contrast, cancer cells have the ability to divide infinitely and yet preserve their telomeres. How do they escape cellular senescence? One explanation became apparent with the finding that cancer cells often have increased telomerase activity. It was therefore proposed that cancer might be treated by eradicating telomerase.
Despite the new found attention telomeres and telomerase have gotten, the science of aging still has a long way to go. However, it’s garnered the respect from the scientific communities and hopefully that’ll mean more well funded research and studies. And who knows, I may be writing an update to this article with the “real” key to eternal youth sooner than expected.
But for now it’s important to note the power of our own mind and body. I truly believe that is the key to better health, fitness and good life lies within us and it’s up to us to tap into that potential. Start by making small changes like eating better, cutting out junk foods, and replacing them with fruits and vegetables. Participate in some type of exercise program. Exercising helps to lower stress, which has been shown to increase telomerase activity, helping you fight age related diseases naturally. And if you want to challenge yourself and really reach your true fitness potential take a look at my MAX Workouts program. The program will not only help enhance your body physiologically, but also make changes in your limbic (emotional) and hormonal systems so you can feel revitalized and gain endless amounts of energy.
What are your thoughts on this supposed “wonder” supplement? If you had the opportunity to take TA-65 would you? What are you doing to prevent or fight premature aging?
About The Author
Shin Ohtake is a widely recognized strength coach and fitness & fat-loss expert. His unconventional, no-nonsense approach to getting fit has made him the go-to source for fitness enthusiasts and trainers alike. Shin is also the author of the world famous, MAX Workouts book, which has transformed and reshaped the bodies of thousands of people across the globe - without requiring hours in the gym. To learn more about how MAX Workouts can help you achieve your fitness goals, visit maxworkouts.com.
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20 Comments
Posted by engela pienaar on 10/28 at 08:20 AM
Dear Shin,
Your advice and workouts has done wonders for me suffering from fribromyalgi. Previously I have only done strecthing exercises and recently started with your workouts and what a change! I feel tremendous thank you very much! Also thanks for the interesting articles you forward to us.
Engela
Posted by Irena Yermakova on 10/28 at 09:04 AM
Dear Shin,
I am lucky that I caught you in WEBSEA. You send very interesting and up date information.
Thank you cordially.
Irena Yermakova
Kiev Ukraine
Posted by Sheldon Green on 10/28 at 09:12 AM
Hey Shin
I’m 45 and live in Cape Town, South Africa.
I’ve changed the way I train from hours on weights, barely working up a sweat to high intensity training using weights and “free training” using body weight. I started feeling a difference in my fitness level very quickly. I have put your book on my Christmas list and expect that my wife will be ordering it shortly. If she doesn’t, I will nominate myself as Santa!
Posted by IAN WATSON on 10/28 at 10:09 AM
Hi Shin, i have not had an opportunity to thank you until now, i read your articles with avid interest, i appreciate the way you cut through the Bullshit and excuses made by certain people and just get the job done .
Well done and thanks again for the articles you have e,mailed me. Ian watson at Fitbodyfitmind
Posted by Preacher on 10/28 at 10:48 AM
Hey Shin
it seems to me we’re always avoiding the fact,that the more we work out the healther we are.the better we feel be it in the gym on the trails,our on the mat.and its cheaper to eat right and exercise..then to buy every supp, that comes down the pike…
Posted by ntema piet on 10/28 at 02:12 PM
I think it is not advisiable to hunt for something that will cost you, if one can still get the results by just looking at his/her diet and do exercises.
Posted by Peter Kirstein on 10/28 at 02:32 PM
Hey Shin! I really believe that strength training, cardio and a healthy diet can do wonders in keeping one feeling and looking young. The Max workout program is proving to be a wonderful way of working out for me. Thanks for the advice, tips and interesting articles such as the one above.
Posted by Luis Perez on 10/28 at 03:27 PM
Shin, again you have the correct advice! All we need is exercise and natural foods. Thats why the Chinese have such a long life span because they are always eating the right natural foods.
Posted by Darko Kreculj on 10/28 at 04:14 PM
Interesting article….but I believe that our body is already equiped with weapons for battleing against ageing and we “only” need to learn how to use it. Thank you Shin for shareing this information with me, I’m very gratefull.
Posted by dana oconnor on 10/28 at 04:31 PM
Wow, I’m fired up about the new findings from the 3 docs and as encouraging as it is, I feel that by exercises and eating right, I have already began reversing my own aging process. Shin thank you for keeping us informed about good health and exercise because in the long run, by being good to ourselves, we can all have a long run, naturally.
Dana O’Connor
Posted by EndoNick on 10/28 at 05:51 PM
Always a bit cynical like yourself when companies self promote the science.
You’ve got it made Shin, we will all be subscibing when we are 150 years old !
Posted by Juan M. García on 10/28 at 06:22 PM
Hi Shin,
I had already read about telomeres’ role in the aging process, so I knew they are key here. I’d be more than willing to pay some money to stop or reverse such a slowly killing process, I think it’s well worth it.
Do you imagine how powerful would we be if we became immortal? I’m going to point out some consequences of that power. You all may already thought about this.
We shouldn’t be stressed to achieve all our goals in a normal human lifetime, we would have the whole eternity waiting for our dreams to come true! We would never run out of time ...
There would be no need to have sons in order to keep our DNA alive somehow! We ourselves would STILL be here (and forever and ever). Morover, it would be advisable NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN, unless we decide to spread through the whole universe (Finally there wouldn’t be enough room for us in mother Earth).
This scenery is possible if we finally win the battle of aging, and I’m very optimistic about that. Telomere research seems a great source of hope towards that great goal. The question is ...
when will we arrive there?
In fact, a British gerontologist has declared the first person to live ... 1000 years! is already living.
Meanwhile, apart from keeping as fit as I can and watch carefully my food choices, I usually take several antioxidants: green tea, Q10 coenzim (so far ubiquinone, I’m thinking about switching to ubiquinol too), gingko biloba, pycnogenol and soy lecitin.
I hope this can help. Free radicals must die!
Posted by Sarah McMullen on 10/28 at 06:31 PM
Ha! Interesting article! I have always felt good about Astralagus as an herb - it is an adaptogen - helpful to just about any condition. But I haven’t taken it for years. I might take it again, but not some “super drug” that is “refined in laboratories.” Whatever!! I believe everything we need is right within our reach. And most of that is good food choices and exercise. And btw Shin, I am on week 4 of your program. I am a 56 year old female, and I am LOVING it. It is so efficient and it is kicking my ass in a great way and I am stronger than I have ever been (even though I have worked out regularly with weights since my thirties.) I have a hard time not recommending it to EVERYONE I know. - Sarah
Posted by Borianna on 10/30 at 12:46 PM
It’s said there LOW FAT VEGAN diet. So should we chuck up the low carb diets which are I think best for keeping body fat low?!
Posted by Sunny Dowling on 11/01 at 11:29 AM
Good morning!
Enjoy your emails & information on the latest discoveries re: health, fitness & aging. How exciting to learn what is happening.
Keep the emails coming…thank you.
S.Dowling
Posted by Patty on 11/02 at 05:09 PM
I adapted a vegan diet four years ago and I feel fantastic at 55. I work out 4 times a week and never worry about gaining weight. I am stroger now than any other time in my life. A vegan lifestyle is easy and guilt free. My main reason for going vegan was concern for animals. The health benefits, though secondary, are amazing!.
Posted by solange on 11/26 at 06:32 AM
hey shin i just want to thank you for the advice about exercising the right way. i used to spend up to 4 hours in the gym. i also want to thank you for all imformation u send. thank you
by the way that is some
Posted by beast on 02/05 at 10:58 AM
Just a guick note to say how impressed I am with this site.The information and dissussion topics are fantastic,and everybody seems to be excited and full of helpful tips on how to make the transition easier for those of us who have just started,so thank again everyboby and big up to Shin for his emence work.Thanks
Posted by rmarylee on 02/24 at 08:11 PM
I just got to say that I am 41 and I am in better shape than some kids. I don’t think that this magic pill is going to make us “fit”. So we may get less wrinkles and stave off diabetes but we are still not fit. Not even this pill will replace the benefits of exercise or eating healthy.
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Posted by Funky on 10/28 at 08:19 AM
Very interesting reading…...but what’s the point of reversing the aging process when all it will really do is cause people to become even lazier than we already are. (why make an effort if we can just swallow a wonder drug)
We have enough information out there to show what we really need to do to start taking control of our own lives.
Unfortunately I’ve seen (as we all have) many teenagers that have been brought up “un-fit”..... youngster that still have their cells growing as they should but still cannot perform any kind of exercise apart from a walk to their local takeaway.
The answer right now is still to get moving as much as possible…..get appropriate amounts of relaxation & sleep…...eat the right foods & include weights as part of our daily workouts.
The muscles need to work to grow, we need to do cardio to burn calories. The benefits I’ve gotten cannot come from a drug in my opinion.
Okay so people will look younger (maybe) from this so called wonder drug, but what’s the point if we’re not taking action in our own lives to increase our strength, mobility & immune system…...we would still have to work with it. There is no short cut.
I sit at my computer each day designing & I can watch people passing by my window….I can see those that are doing something to ward off the aging process, I can see those that don’t…...sadly I see more aged (& not so aged) people that don’t take action & I wonder who exactly is doing the hardest work…..me by working out 5 times a week or them struggling to take their next step as they fight their way home with their shopping.
I don’t know enough about what this article is discussing, but I know it’s not in the here & now. I’m just dealing with today. xx