A recent study published in the “Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences” has shown that chronic stress can have a profound impact even at the cellular level. The study found that chronic stress effects activity within the cell that has to do with Telomeres.
What are Telomeres? These are protein complexes that form the “caps” of a strand of DNA. Sometimes these are thought of as a “tail” of the DNA except that it is present on both ends. Telomeres play a vital part in the process of aging. Each time a cell divides a portion of the Telomere is lost and the “tail” gets shortened a bit. The Telomere in the child cell is slightly shorter than the parent cell from which it formed. This means that after certain number of divisions the entire length of the “tail” is consumed and the cell can no longer divide, and it dies.
This indicates that the process of aging and the length of Telomere are directly related. As we age the length of Telomere in our cells get shorter. Another thing to know: there is an enzyme called Telomerase that replenishes and repairs the Telomeres and slows down the aging process.
What this paper has found that chronic stress has a direct impact on the aging process at the cell level. It shows that those who reported the highest level of chronic stress had cell Telomeres shortened in an accelerated manner. This was seen as equivalent to ten years of additional aging in those with high levels of chronic stress.
Another study published by scientists (Nobel Prize Winner Elizabeth Blackburn amongst them) at the University of California at Los Angeles found that 12 minutes of daily meditation for eight weeks increases telomerase activity by 43%. As telomerase is the enzyme that repairs the shortening of Telomeres in cells, this study indicates that meditation can slow down the aging process and lengthen your life.
Another five year study by John Denninger at Harvard Medical School, concluded recently that yoga and meditation can switch off genes related to stress and switch on genes related to immune function. He recently said, “The kinds of things that happen when you mediate effects throughout the body, not just in the brain.”
Another recent study found that yoga or meditation practice even by novices for as little as eight weeks enhanced expression of genes associated with:
* Energy metabolism
* Mitochondrial function
* Insulin secretion
* and Telomere maintenance
It also reduced expression of genes linked to:
* Inflammatory response
* and stress-related pathways.
The biological evidence on the efficacy of Yoga, meditation, and related mind-body techniques is piling up. What the science is showing what many yoga practitioners already know: Yoga can slow down aging, reduce stress, and speed up healing.
Credits:This has been written by Raj Shah and edited by Ketna Shah.
Related: The Healing Powers Of Yoga
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