Every time a cell inside your body is regenerated, ironically, a part of your youth turns to dust. This happens through the shortening of the ends of chromosomes known as telomeres.
After each cell division, your telomeres get slightly shorter. This shortening rate is consistent across all types of cells and can be standardized across the entire population. Therefore, telomeres are considered by scientists to be the clock that measures biological age instead of chronological age.
Reversing the shortening of telomeres can fundamentally help reverse cellular age, biological age, and help you regain your youth. Previous studies have indicated that people who exercise regularly can rejuvenate their bodies through telomeres by up to 9 years.
But is there a way to do this faster and more effectively?
The ends of chromosomes are called telomeres.
A team of Israeli scientists has recently reported that they have found a way to reverse telomere shortening in a small study with 35 volunteers. These volunteers underwent a high-pressure oxygen breathing therapy for 3 months.
Five times a week, they were placed in a chamber containing high-pressure oxygen for 90 minutes. The results of this treatment extended the telomeres of their cells by 20%.
Dr. Shair Efrati, the lead researcher from the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University, stated: “Reversing the shortening of telomeres is the Holy Grail in aging biology and the field of human longevity research. And Israel is determined to lead such studies.”
Telomeres and Human Longevity
“After the twin experiment conducted by NASA, where one twin went to space and the other stayed on Earth, a significant difference in their telomere lengths was recorded,” Dr. Efrati said. “We realized that changes in the external environment can affect the cellular core and are linked to the aging process.”
The telomeres Dr. Efrati refers to are repetitive code segments that function like DNA at both ends of chromosomes, similar to the plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces. They are replicated along with the rest of the chromosome each time a cell divides. However, with each replication, a few small code segments at the end of the telomere fail to produce new copies, causing the chromosome to shorten slightly.
Like anyone who has ever lost the plastic tip at the end of a shoelace knows, it won’t be long before the shoelace frays and can no longer be used. Similarly, shorter telomeres also make chromosomes more susceptible to mutations.
These mutations coincide with changes that cause a range of aging-related diseases in the body, especially cancer. This does not necessarily affirm that we age because our telomeres shorten, but there is certainly a connection between telomere length and health that researchers want to explore further.
“Longer telomeres correlate with better cellular performance,” Dr. Efrati mentioned.
Dr. Shair Efrati, the lead researcher from the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University.
There are many ways to accelerate the erosion of our telomeres. Not getting enough sleep, eating too much processed food, and even having many children are among them.
Conversely, slowing the shortening of telomeres will require a bit more effort. Regular exercise and maintaining a balanced diet are two of the most effective methods if you want your chromosomes to maintain their durability for as long as possible.
But is there a simpler way to do this? Dr. Efrati and his colleagues at Tel Aviv University recently tested a therapy called “Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy” (HBOT) on 35 volunteers and found that they regained about 1/5 of the lost telomere length.
That is a very impressive number compared to other anti-aging therapies, in which the maximum telomere length they maintain is only about 2-3%.
Rejuvenating Chambers Filled with Pure Oxygen
HBOT was previously an effective therapy used for divers suffering from decompression sickness or patients with infections due to oxygen-sensitive bacteria. This therapy requires a chamber filled with pure oxygen and increased pressure above atmospheric pressure.
In Dr. Efrati’s study, volunteers were required to sit in the chamber for 5 sessions each week, each session lasting 90 minutes. A total of 60 sessions in the HBOT chamber were completed over a period of 3 months.
Inside an HBOT chamber.
The oxygen-rich environment under high pressure is known to trigger a series of genetic and molecular changes. In this study, scientists demonstrated that the genetic changes induced by HBOT reversed the loss of telomeres, and also had a positive impact on cellular tissue health.
Blood samples from participating volunteers also showed that the oxygen-rich environment could help maintain T-cell density in the blood, a measure assessing the aging of the immune system in the volunteers that is also slowing down.
Overall, researchers indicated that about 11-37% of the cells in the volunteers’ bodies had been rejuvenated. Telomeres had lengthened by 20-38%.
“Today, telomere shortening is considered the ‘Holy Grail’ in aging biology. Researchers worldwide are striving to develop pharmacological and environmental interventions that allow for telomere extension.” Dr. Efrati said.
“Now, we have demonstrated the anti-aging effects on the study group using the HBOT protocol, and further studies are needed to optimize this protocol for each individual.”
Publishing the research results in the journal Aging, the authors stated that this is just one of several clinical trials conducted in Israel’s comprehensive research program that views aging as a “disease” that can be cured or reversed.
“With this pioneering research, we have opened the door to further exploration of the effects of HBOT on cells and its potential to reverse the aging process.” the authors concluded.
References: Sciencealert, Sciencedaily