Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Hi Terry, “I have been reading about telomeres and how they are associated with longevity, and the shorter they become, the shorter your life span. I have heard there is a Chinese herb or blend that can lengthen telomeres, but I don’t know if it is bogus or not and it costs $4000, money which I don’t have. What suggestions do you have for telomeres—both supplements and diet?” —Vicky L., Lincoln, CA A. Dear Vicky, You are right that many scientists that are looking at the aging process have focused on telomere length. The best description I have ever heard of a telomere was given by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, who, with her two colleagues, won the Nobel prize for her work on telomeres: “Telomeres are like the tips at the end of the shoelace and stop the shoelace from fraying away. We think this is one of the things that contribute to age-related diseases. The enzyme is basically building back the tips of the shoelaces.” If you are looking for natural interventions for longevity, I do have some suggestions. First, try healthy omega 3 fatty acids. A recent study showed that individuals with higher levels of omega 3s in their blood stream had, on average, longer telomeres than age-matched individuals with low omega 3s. Though I am a HUGE proponent of omega 3s, I am not a proponent of fish oil! The omega 3s in fish oil are not well absorbed, which is why you have to take such large amounts to get any benefits. In fish oil, the omega 3s are carried by triglycerides, which are slow and inefficient. I prefer a whole food salmon extract in which the omega 3s are attached to phospholipids, extracted with a novel European process called “vectorization.” This can improve omega 3 absorption over fish oil by up to 50-fold. Additionally, inflammation is directly related to nearly every chronic disease and every top 20 causes of death outside those that are self-inflicted (i.e., car accidents, falls, etc.) The single best compound for fighting chronic inflammation is curcumin. Make sure you use a highly absorbable curcumin or you will not get optimal benefits. The one I recommend is up to ten times better absorbed than plain curcumin and clinically studied. My favorite longevity formula based on this special curcumin also includes green tea and resveratrol, ingredients that have potent antioxidant capacity in their own right. The best food advice I can recommend is to follow humankinds’s original diet. You can review what is sometimes called the Paleo Diet on my website at www.TerryTalksNutrition.com under “Terry’s Diet for all Mankind” on the left hand column of the home page. Healthy regards, Terry . . . Naturally