What it all comes down to is that you’re only as old and healthy as your telomeres feel and by keeping your telomeres as long and healthy as possible, you can age gracefully. Your DNA are actually coded to do this, but certain telomere-damagers get in the way – which you need to watch out for. Your health peaks around the age of 22, but after 53 it really starts to drop. This is part of the ageing process but it begins at a cellular level. A long and healthy life can be achieved if you keep healthy cells and replace them with more healthy cells but major outside influences make this challenging, and need to be beaten in order to add years to your life.
Oxidation is a major stressor that affects the life and health of your cells, as it produces unstable high-energy molecules called free radicals. During biochemical reactions in your body, it is normal for oxygen to be added. However, when oxygen is added to an already unstable compound, such as polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), it creates oxidative free radical damage. PUFAs are found in oils, fast food, doughnuts, chips, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise, and even heart-healthy oily fish, as omega-3s and 6s are just PUFAs. Therefore, you need to avoid these foods and replace them with saturated fats like olive oil, coconut oil, and butter, as well as saturated animal fat.
Chronic inflammation also causes ageing, as it is a response of the body to harmful attacks of microorganisms, damaged cells, or other irritants like free radicals. Your body responds to these irritants with a combination of the autonomic nervous system, the immune system, and the hormonal system, which culminates in the production of swelling, heat, increased blood flow, and even pain, in order to remove the irritant. However, inflammation, when occurring in high levels, can be damaging to your wellbeing and the more inflammation your body produces, the more cellular damage it will incur.