Exercise, sleep and stress reduction are common prescriptions for staving off some of the diseases that can come with old age, but few of us understand exactly how these habits protect and change our bodies. Part of the answer may be that these healthy habits protect our telomeres — the tiny caps at the end of our chromosomes that keep conditions like diabetes and cancer at bay. That’s according to Nobel Laureate Elizabeth Blackburn and psychologist Elissa Epel, authors of “The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer.” In this hour, they join us to discuss their theory on how to slow aging on a cellular level, and they’ll also share some specific practices they claim can help protect your telomeres and potentially extend your lifespan.
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