aitoff / Pixabay – The wrong foods can lead to an earlier death.

A healthy body required balanced nutrition. Everything we eat, drink or think feeds or fights disease. Nutrition impacts the health of all the cells in our bodies. And, it impacts the length of our telomeres. Yet, most Americans are deficient in multiple vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium, folate, vitamin B12, iron, vitamin K2, vitamin D3, and calcium.  The rate of loss of your telomeres is affected by the foods you eat.  Longer telomere lengths increase longevity.

What foods slow the rate of loss of our telomeres? One study showed that test subjects with the highest levels of folate in their blood had longer telomeres compared to those test subjects with lower levels of folate. Folate is one of the B vitamins (B9). Folic acid is the synthesized version of folate. Folic acid is found in supplements and is added to fortify various foods. Vitamin B9 cannot be made by our bodies. We get folates from the foods we eat. Folates are used to synthesize and repair DNA along with producing healthy red blood cells. Foods rich in folates are leafy green vegetables, certain fruits, organ meat, legumes, and mushrooms.

VictoryRock / Pixabay – Balanced nutrition is an absolute requirement for health and longevity.

Vitamins and minerals associated with retaining longer telomere lengths are B vitamins (especially vitamin B12), vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and magnesium.  Vitamin B12 is a cobalamin. Most vitamin manufacturers choose cyanocobalamin. It does not survive stomach acid very well. Another form of vitamin B12 is methylcobalamin. It dissolves under the tongue and enters the bloodstream directly. It never enters your stomach.

Vitamin E is collectively eight different chemicals. They are alpha tocopherol, beta tocopherol, gamma tocopherol, delta tocopherol, alpha tocotrienol, beta tocotrienol, gamma tocotrienol, and delta tocotrienol.  Many vitamin manufacturers provide alpha-tocopherol only and label it as vitamin E. Many times it is the synthetic version of vitamin E (dl-alpha-Tocopherol). Select vitamin E supplements that have mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols to gain the maximum benefit.  There is no single food that contains all eight chemicals comprising vitamin E.  More of foods and longevity to follow.