Reader, As an anti-aging doctor, my goal is to help you stay as youthful as possible – without being sidelined by pain or disease.  This humble herb is key to increasing your immortality enzyme. | I want to help you increase the amount of time you feel energized, invigorated, and ready to take on the world.
Of course, the healthier you are, the more quality years you're likely to have. I call this your health span.
One of the most exciting advances in anti-aging medicine I use to help my patients increase their health span is next-generation telomere therapy.
You may recall telomeres are the tiny "countdown clocks" located at the end of each DNA strand. They control the aging process.
Every time your cells divide, your telomeres get shorter. This is what accelerates aging.
The secret to increasing your health span is slowing down this clock.
Game-changing breakthrough research shows that telomere length is one of the strongest markers of disease, health span, and quality of life.
Here are just a few of the studies:1,2,3,4,5 - Longer telomere length is "significantly associated" with a decreased risk of heart attack and stroke
- Shorter than average telomere length means 28% greater risk of Alzheimer's
- Short telomeres increased the risk of getting a serious infectious disease 8.5 times
- Reduced telomere length is associated with increased all-cause mortality
- In patients at risk for type 2 diabetes, short telomeres increased the odds of getting the disease by 84%
Fortunately, your cells can produce an "immortality enzyme" that lengthens telomeres. This ability is built into your DNA. And once you turn it on, your DNA produces an enzyme called telomerase.
The telomerase then rebuilds the length of your telomeres.
One of the most effective telomerase activators is omega-3.
I've witnessed the effects on my patients firsthand. But it's always great when clinical studies back up what I see...
One study found that people with the lowest levels of omega-3 fats had the fastest telomere shortening over a five-year period. Those with the highest levels had the slowest shortening.
In another study, researchers at Ohio State University wanted to know if high doses of omega-3s could shield telomeres from the free-radical damage caused by stress.
Free radicals are a key factor in the aging process, damaging cells, and causing illness and aging.
In this case, the researchers gave 138 people difficult problems to solve, then studied their bodies' reactions. Those who took 2.5 grams of omega-3s daily had 19% lower cortisol levels and 33% fewer inflammatory proteins than normal.
However, participants taking a placebo experienced a 25% drop in telomerase. That's alarming because without enough telomerase to repair your telomeres, old age, and frailty are right around the corner.
Supplementing is the easiest way to get the right kind of omega-3s. The key ingredient to look for is docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. I recommend at least 600 mg of DHA every day.
I recommend getting DHA from squid. Sometimes called calamari oil, it contains more DHA than fish and krill oil combined. But be sure your oil comes from calamari that live in the pure waters off the South American coast. 3 More Ways To Activate Telomerase - First, Get Some Sunshine. In one study of telomerase, people took either a placebo or 2,000 IU of vitamin D a day. After only four months, telomerase activity in the vitamin D group skyrocketed by 19.2%. Those taking a placebo had no change.
If you can't get 20 minutes of sun daily, start out with 5,000 IU every day of vitamin D3 called cholecalciferol. It's the same vitamin D3 that your body produces. Just be sure to avoid the synthetic form of vitamin D2 in most multivitamins. It's less potent and less absorbable.
- Then, Take This Potent Antioxidant. Raising the level of vitamin C in your cells stimulates telomerase. It could slow down the shortening of telomeres up to 62%. To protect telomeres, you'll need at least 8,000 mg every day.
I recommend you take liposomal-encapsulated supplements. Liposomes wrap the vitamin C molecule in a thin layer of fat called phospholipids.
Your cell membranes are made from the same fat, and the protective layer allows it to bypass your digestive system and "dock" with the vitamin receptors on your cells. You consistently get around 98% absorption , depending on the brand.
- Finally, Use This Humble Herb. A recent study reports that human blood cells treated with a compound containing Centella asiatica extract — from the medicinal plant also known as gotu kola — saw a nearly 9-fold increase in telomerase activity compared with untreated cells.
When choosing a supplement, select one that is standardized to the asiaticosides or Asiatic acid. I recommend taking 300 mg a day.
To Your Good Health, 
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References: - Deng Y, et al. "Telomere length and the risk of cardiovascular diseases: A Mendelian randomization study." Front Cardio Med. 2022;9:1012615.
- Cao Z, et al "Leucocyte telomere length, brain volume and risk of dementia: a prospective cohort study." Gen Psychiatr. 2023 Sep 11;36(4):e101120.
- Gerontol A, et al. "Association between telomere length, specific causes of death, and years of healthy life in health, aging, and body composition, a population-based cohort study." Biol Sci Med Sci. 2009 Aug;64(8):860-4.
- Schneider C, et al. "Association of telomere length with risk of disease and mortality." JAMA Intern Med. 2022;182(3):291-300.
- Ojeda-Rodriguez A, et al. "Telomere length as biomarker of nutritional therapy for prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus development in patients with coronary heart disease: CORDIOPREV randomised controlled trial." Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2024 Mar 16;23(1):98
- Farzaneh-Far R, et al. "Association of marine omega-3 fatty acid levels with telomeric aging in patients with coronary heart disease." JAMA. 2010;303(3):250-257.
- Madison A, et al. "Omega-3 supplementation and stress reactivity of cellular aging biomarkers: an ancillary substudy of a randomized, controlled trial in midlife adults." Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Jul; 26(7): 3034–3042.
- Zhu H, et al. "Increased telomerase activity and vitamin D supplementation in overweight African Americans." Int J Obes (Lond). 2012;36(6):805-809.
- Furumoto K, et al. "Age-dependent telomere shortening is slowed down by enrichment of intracellular vitamin C via suppression of oxidative stress." Life Sci. 1998;63(11):935-948.
- Tsoukalas D, et al. "Discovery of potent telomerase activators: Unfolding new therapeutic and anti-aging perspectives." Mol Med Rep. 2019;20(4):3701–3708.
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