Anti-aging: a "Nobel" cause

Mark Twain famously said “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” Great advice to be sure, and there is ample evidence to support the notion of a healthy attitude as an anti-aging strategy. But of course how the body ages is important too.
I spend much of my time practicing what is called anti-aging, but the term has lost some of its meaning in recent years. What we call anti-aging these days has more to do with restoring the appearance of youth more than with slowing the aging process itself, or at least steering it in a healthy direction. Recognition of that fact is one of the things that motivated my book Age Gets Better with Wine, out next week. But the science of anti-aging is regaining credibility, as evidenced by last week’s announcement of the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine. Three Americans-Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak-were named winners for their chromosome research that has profound implications for cancer and aging.
Here’s what they found: whenever a cell divides, which it must do in order to heal a wound, refresh the skin, and rebuild organs to maintain their function, it must replicate the chromosomes that hold the DNA programming code. This is accomplished by a sort of unzipping of the DNA strands, but at the end of each one is a sort of cap like on a shoelace called the telomere. These normally limit the number of times the DNA (and therefore the cell) can replicate, but an enzyme called telomerase rebuilds the telomere. In cancer cells, this goes on continuously and out of control, but for anti-aging it may hold the key to extending the cell’s replicative lifespan. This in turn translates to healthier organs, glowing skin, and a sharper mind.
A lot remains to be learned about this process, but the promise is more than enticing. In the meantime, focus on that positive attitude and healthy lifestyle.