It’s not the first time we've been told that living a healthy lifestyle is beneficial.
It’s not the first
time we've been told that living a healthy lifestyle is beneficial.
Acknowledging this statement is certainly true, yet what is the extent of it?
Current cancer research tells us just that and gives us new hope in cancer
prevention.
In a new Study titled
“Healthy Habits Linked to Longer Telomeres in Prostate
Cancer”, directed
by the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, the association between a
healthy lifestyle and chromosome length was explored. This study notes on
previous findings that the length of telomeres, or protein complexes at the end
of chromosomes, are linked to later cancer onset when a healthy lifestyle is
implemented.
For this Study a cohort of 35 men with
biopsy-proven, low risk prostate cancer, were opted into a lifestyle program.
This program consisted of a diet
low in fat and refined carbohydrates and high in whole fruits and vegetables;
exercised aerobically for at least 30 minutes 6 days each week; engaged in
stress management programs; and took part in a 1-hour weekly support group. Over a 5 year span, these men experienced a
lengthening in telomeres, and consequently, an improvement in chromosome and
overall health.
Results not only
concluded an improvement in the intervention groups’ telomeres, but in the
control group who were solely monitored for 5 years, in contrast, concluded
with an overall shortening in telomeres.
As results are
encouraging, further research into the correlation between lifestyle and health
will continue to broaden the understanding of the extent of benefits our
society may incur.
