Telomeres and the Aging Process

Explore the role of telomeres—the protective caps on your DNA—in cellular aging. Learn why they shorten and how your lifestyle can influence their length. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes, often compared to the plastic tips on shoelaces. They prevent our DNA from fraying or getting damaged every time a cell divides. With each cell division, these telomeres get a little bit shorter. When they become critically short, the cell can no longer divide and enters a state of senescence or dies. This shortening is considered one of the primary clocks of aging. While this process is natural, its speed is not. Factors like chronic stress, poor diet, and lack of exercise can accelerate telomere shortening, while a healthy lifestyle has been shown to slow it down and activate the enzyme telomerase, which can help maintain their length.