Nobel Prize-winning professor: 5 things that make you old and the key to anti-aging

Modern medicine has discovered that the aging process is controlled by a 'telomere clock controller'. What behaviors can damage telomeres, and where are the keys to improvement?

The aging process is controlled by a 'cell clock controller - the telomere'.

The 'telomere clock controller' controls human aging

From a biological point of view, the process of human birth, aging, disease and death is a gradual, irreversible process. Aging is manifested by degeneration of cellular structures, for example, a decrease in cell number and a shrinking volume.

Science has discovered that gene transcription and transcription is influenced by telomeres and telomerases. These telomeres and telomerases can protect the chromosomes, so the scientists also call these telomeres 'controllers of the biological clock'.

Each cell division shortens the telomeres a bit, and when they are too short to contract anymore, the cell can no longer divide and dies. Therefore, if you find a way to slow the shortening of telomeres, then you can delay the aging process.

Telomeres shorten each time a cell divides, and when they are too short to contract anymore, the cell can no longer divide and dies. (Photo: Kateryna Kon/ Shutterstock)

Elizabeth Blackburn, a molecular biologist and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, after winning the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, wrote the book ''The Secret of the Telomere''. . In the book, the professor said, after scientific observations and tests have confirmed that:

A person's way of thinking or psychological pattern can affect telomeres, bad thinking is a key factor in telomere damage.

Professor Elizabeth Blackburn at the University of California, 2009 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, author of the book "The Secret of the Telomere". (Photo: Gerbil/Wikipedia)

5 behaviors that can damage your telomeres

1. Hostile 

Hostility is a strong emotion of anger, frequent resentment, contempt for others, especially resentment against friends and colleagues at work. 

Professor Elizabeth conducted a study of British civil servants and found that men with a high index of hostility had shorter telomeres than men with a lower index.

2. Pessimism

Pessimism has very serious negative effects on telomeres. In a smaller study of 35 women, Professor Elizabeth found that women with high pessimism had shorter telomeres. In addition, a study of 1,000 men found that pessimism is a major threat to health. When pessimists suffer from diseases related to aging, such as cancer or heart disease, the disease tends to progress more quickly.

3. Overthinking

Overthinking can affect the body's immune cells and shorten telomeres.

There are many people who think too much, can't seem to stop thinking about something, often fall into a state of anxiety and self-pressure. For example, often think about conflicts between family members and conflicts in personal relationships.

Studies have found that obsessing over these entanglements can also affect the body's immune cells and shorten telomeres. At the same time, people who think a lot are more prone to clinical depression and anxiety disorders.

4. Inhibition of thought

Everyone will encounter headaches, sometimes we actively push away these unpleasant thoughts in a temporary way, but we cannot find a way to completely solve and solve the problem at the root of the problem. will affect your telomere length.

The late Harvard social psychologist, Professor Daniel Wegner, once shared the quote of the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy: 'Try not to think about polar bears, and you will find that every minute of every day seconds later, the polar bear pops into your mind again.' Meaning that the further you push your thoughts away, the more they grab your attention.

5. Ambiguous thinking

Distraction also affects telomere length.

This is a state of being distracted, distracted. As we all know, many scientists achieve great achievements partly because they are always very focused when working and researching. Professor Elizabeth's research also found that when people can't concentrate, can't stay focused quickly, it also affects the length of telomeres.

However, due to the influence of some external influences, many people are easily distracted at work. Train yourself in the habit of high concentration.

Here are some suggestions for you: You should make a plan of things to do and try to complete it within the committed time. If not necessary, you should mute your phone or entertainment device and put them aside. A neat, well-lit workspace accompanied by soothing music is also a good way to increase concentration.

The key to anti-aging: Lengthening telomeres

1. Self-Awakening – how to fight negative thoughts

Professor Elizabeth's experiment has given us a great source of suggestions, which is to maintain a positive mindset to improve our health.

At the end of her book, Professor Elizabeth mentions something very important: Although negative thinking can shorten our telomeres as mentioned in the above 5 aspects, people have can change it through 'thought awareness'. When we find ourselves in a state of hatred, or realize that we are constantly overthinking and inhibiting our thoughts, it is stored in our hearts like a stuffy warehouse, if only when we can wake up and If we change these negative things, we can change the telomeres, thereby slowing down the aging process and prolonging life.

2. Meditation helps to increase telomere length and prevent aging

A study published in the Journal of Cancer, conducted by the Tom Baker Cancer Center in Canada, found that sitting meditation can lengthen the telomeres of cancer patients.

The researchers divided 88 breast cancer patients into a meditation group and a control group. The meditation group participated in an 8-week meditation course. They practice together for 90 minutes a day and go home for 45 minutes. The control group did emotional expression therapy and met for 90 minutes a week, letting people talk openly about their concerns and inner feelings, thereby supporting each other.

Three months later, the researchers compared the subjects' blood analysis before and after the experiment. The results showed that the telomeres of the meditation group became longer, while the telomeres of the control group became shorter.

Research by the Tom Baker Cancer Center in Canada shows that sitting meditation can lengthen the telomeres of cancer patients. Image of Falun Gong practitioners practicing meditation.