On occasion, someone that I will be communicating with will, understandably, wonder about the science behind what I am discussing... because the science for telomeres, for example, is both so extraordinary and so recent. This post will serve as a continuously expanding repository relating to the science supporting the statements that I make regarding the marvels of the human body.
1) How Proteins are Made
To kick things off, here is a general overview of how a protein is made inside of a cell.
2) Gratitude
Thankfulness Linked to Positive Changes in Brain and Body, Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy
The Neuroscience of Gratitude
3) Dopamine
The Science of Achieving Your Goals, Dr. Ralph Ryback
4) Serotonin
How to Increase Serotonin in the Human Body without Drugs
5) Oxytocin
The Top 10 Ways to Boost Good Feelings, Dr. Paul Zak
6) Endorphins / Runners High, Laughter
Runners' High Demonstrate: Brain Imaging Shows Release of Endorphins in Brain
Social laughter releases endorphins in the brain.
7) Cortisol
Chronic Stress Puts Your Health at Risk
8) Telomeres
From the European Heart Journal, p 34, Jan 2019: “Telomeres and telomere associated proteins (telomerase) play a major role in cellular aging with implications for global health.”)
Telomeres and Aging:
Telomere extension turns back aging clock in cultured human cells, study finds:
9) Telomerase
Telomerase and telomere research are at the forefront of science. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes. Elizabeth Blackburn won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine for telomere and telomerase research.
Telomerase: Structure, Functions, and Activity Regulation, U.S. National Library of Medicine
Insight meditation and telomere biology: The effects of intensive retreat and the moderating role of personality – May 2018
Abstract: “A growing body of evidence suggests that meditation training may have a range of salubrious effects, including improved telomere regulation. Telomeres and the enzyme telomerase interact with a variety of molecular components to regulate cell-cycle signaling cascades, and are implicated in pathways linking psychological stress to disease. We investigated the effects of intensive meditation practice on these biomarkers by measuring changes in telomere length (TL), telomerase activity (TA), and telomere-related gene (TRG) expression during a 1-month residential Insight meditation retreat.”
U.C. Berkeley
Long-Sought structure of telomerase paves the way for drugs for aging, cancer.
