Dear Friends,
Be Well.
David
Nov 18, 2012 by MICHAEL FORRESTER
Breaking Study Is The First To Show Link Between Being Present In The Moment And Ageless DNA
Scientific studies have suggested that a mind
that is present and in the moment indicates well-being, whereas
shifting our energy to the past or future can lead to unhappiness. Now, a
preliminary UCSF study shows a link between mind wandering and
aging, by looking at a biological measure of longevity within our DNA.
In the study,
telomere length, an emerging biomarker for cellular and general
bodily aging, was assessed in association with the tendency to be
present in the moment versus the tendency to mind wander, in research
on 239 healthy, midlife women ranging in age from 50 to 65 years.
Being present in the moment was defined as an inclination to be
focused on current tasks, while mind wandering was defined as the
inclination to have thoughts about things other than the present or
being elsewhere.
Many practitioners of spiritual health tell us not to deny the
problems we are facing, but to also not get lost in them either.
Psychological sciences have shown us that being present brings us
greater alertness and inner security, allowing us to face challenges
more objectively and with greater calm.
According to the findings, published online in the new Association for Psychological Science journal Clinical Psychological Science,
those who reported more mind wandering had shorter telomeres, while
those who reported more presence in the moment, or having a greater
focus and engagement with their current activities, had longer
telomeres, even after adjusting for current stress.
The human genome is packed with at least four million gene switches
that reside in bits of DNA that once were dismissed as “junk” but it
turns out that so-called junk DNA
plays critical roles in controlling how cells, organs and other
tissues behave. The discovery, considered a major medical and
scientific breakthrough, has enormous implications for human health
and consciousness because many complex diseases appear to be caused
by tiny changes in hundreds of gene switches.
As scientists delved into the “junk” -- parts of the DNA that are not
actual genes containing instructions for proteins -- they discovered
a complex system that controls genes. At least 80 percent of this
DNA is active and needed. Another 15-17 percent has higher functions
scientists are still decoding.
Every human cell contains DNA and these strands genetically code us
to who we are. Telomeres are the end caps of our DNA completing and
protecting them but every time a cell replicates, these telomeres
diminish. Telomeres typically shorten with age and in response to
psychological and physiological stressors. At conception, your
telomeres are 15,000 bases long but at birth, only 10,000 bases
remain. Throughout your lifetime, your Telomeres continue to naturally
erode. No one can live with Telomeres at less than 5,000 bases, so
you can understand the importance in keeping your Telomeres as long as
possible. In research pioneered at UCSF, scientists have discovered
that telomere shortness predicts early disease and mortality.
As the study assessed mind wandering and telomeres at the same time,
the researchers don't yet know whether mind wandering leads to shorter
telomeres, whether the reverse occurs, or some common third factor is
contributing to both.
Mindful meditation interventions, which promote attention on the
present with a compassionate attitude of acceptance, lead to increases
in some aspects of health. Being present and observant in purity
without judgment also means that we have no emotionality surrounding
our observations. Our emotional well being is not placed in the
outcomes of our life's circumstances, but rather our wellbeing is
placed inwardly and determined by a choice we make to remain calm,
focused and expansive surrounding the multiple possibilities of the
occurrences we are a witness to.
Previous studies have found meditation interventions are associated
with increased activity of an enzyme known as telomerase, which is
responsible for protecting and in some cases, replenishing telomeres.
Along with the new UCSF study, these findings support the possibility
that a focus on the present may be part of what promotes health
measurable at the cellular level, the researchers said.
"Our attentional state -- where our thoughts rest at any moment --
turns out to be a fascinating window into our well-being. It may be
affected by our emotional state as well as shape our emotional state,"
said Elissa Epel, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and lead
author on the study. "In our healthy sample, people who report being
more engaged in their current activities tend to have longer
telomeres. We don't yet know how generalizable or important this
relationship is."
Moving forward, Epel, along with Eli Puterman, PhD, a psychologist in
the UCSF Department of Psychiatry, and colleagues are developing a
series of classes to promote more mindful presence, to see if this
intervention protects telomere maintenance or even lengthens telomeres.
In the current study, participants self-reported a tendency to mind
wander, and were measured for aspects of psychological distress and
well-being. The sample was highly educated and had a narrow range of
both chronological age and psychological stress (most were low stress),
all of which might have contributed to the ability to detect this
relationship, Epel said.
The study is the first to link attentional state to telomere length
and to control for stress and depression, Epel said. Previous studies
have shown links between telomere length and particular types of stress
and depression. Since this study relied on self-reported attentional
state, she said, further studies directly measuring presence and mind
wandering will be needed.
"We now have evidence for a new type of healing in which DNA can
be influenced and reprogrammed by the way we think without
physically modifying a single gene," said Professor and geneticist
Karina Mika.
"This study was a first step and suggests it's worth delving into
understanding the link between mind wandering and cell health to get a
better understanding of whether there is causality and reversibility,"
said Epel. "For example, does reducing mind wandering promote better
cell health? Or are these relationships just reflective of some
underlying long-standing characteristics of a person?"
"Results suggest the possibility that the attitude of acceptance of
negative experiences might be one of the factors that promotes greater
ability to be more present -- to be okay with one's current experience
and not avoid the unpleasant aspects of everyday experiences," she
said.
"A number of emotion theories suggest that greater attentional
control leads to less suppression of negative emotions, and thus less of
the rebound effect of unsuccessful suppression," said Wendy Berry
Mendes, PhD, associate professor and Sarlo/Ekman Endowed Chair of
Emotion at UCSF and co-author on this study. "Alternatively, attentional
control may help us interpret emotions in a more constructive way,
what we call 'positive reappraisals.' Such styles of thinking have
been associated with healthy physiological states."
"Over many millennia our minds and physical being have become time
machines programmed to grow old and expire, but it doesn't have to be
that way," said Mika. "Being ageless could be as simple as changing our
emotional state and thinking differently," she concluded.
Research on telomeres, and the enzyme that makes them, was pioneered
by three Americans, including Blackburn, who co-discovered the
telomerase enzyme in 1985. The scientists received the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine in 2009 for this work.
Michael Forrester is a spiritual counselor and is a practicing motivational speaker for corporations in Japan, Canada and the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment