Two recent studies were reported by Frank Shallenberger, M.D., in his Real Cures Newsletter.   They both shed light on how rapidly coronary artery disease occurs. The first study found five times the destruction of telomeres (more about that later) occurred when the aerobic (oxygen) capacity of the cell was exceeded. This first experiment was conducted at Humbolt University in Berlin, Germany on fibroblast cells in the laboratory.

Individual cells demonstrate age when the telomeres that cap the ends of chromosomes shorten. The significance of this is, when cells divide and reproduce, the genetic content is not lost because the telomere caps help protect the precious DNA of the chromosomes.  Genetic code  is not lost but the lifespan of the new cell is reduced.  It is lost because the telomere shortens.

Each time the cell divides it loses a little of its protective telomere cap. Inflammation in the form of free radicals also accelerates the shortening of the telemeres. This oxidative damage shortens the cellular life span.

A second experiment was done from skin biopsies.  The 16 subjects who were followed were between the ages of 28 and 91 years.  The fibroblast cells of the skin were subjected to 20 cell divisions in the laboratory.  Of course the telomere caps were shortened as expected.

The rate of destruction was related to the cells that were most deficient in anti-oxidants. specifically glutathione peroxidase and super oxidase dimutase.  These enzymes are powerful anti-oxidants.They neutralize oxidation and subsequent inflammation that is destructive to the cell’s lifespan.

It is well known that free radical oxidation  accelerates  inflammatory  degenerative diseases like coronary artery disease; this shorten the life expectancy of the individual. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It can be measured by the rapid shortening of the telomeres. How rapid telomeres shorten is associated with unchecked free radical damage. Good antioxidant are important in reversing declining health from heart disease…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

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