How 'Old' Are Your Genes?

A special test that analyses your geneticpercent we can control with diet, conscious living,
fingerprint could reveal the true age, and thus themeditation, stress reduction and exercise. Certain
health of your different body tissues. It's not easygenes manufacture proteins and other aspects of
to tell, if a young looking body is hiding diseasedthe cells machinery at certain rates based on your
and aging organs, or if a senior body is concealinglifestyle choices. The premise seems to be,
young and virile organs. Everything you havemprove your lifestyle, improve your gene
packed into your body space has a vital functionfunction.
and needs to be healthy do keep you in topSome aging studies have shown that there are
shape.small areas at the ends of the chromosomes
A technique developed at Stanford Universitycalled tolemeres. Unhealthy lifestyles cause decay
Medical Center has a multiplicity of uses. Thisin these tolemeres more quickly over time than
technique could be used to warn us of possiblejust a 'normal' aging process.
pending disease so that it could be rectified beforeTo improve lifestyle you need to stimulate the
it becomes more serious. It could also be used tobody to WANT to do it. So many people think
test the health of those whose job requires topthey can change their lifestyle only to find that
physical conditioning like astronauts and deep seathey are addicted to certain foods or cigarettes,
divers. It could also find compatible organs foror it is too much work or whatever excuse they
transplant to a loved one.can come up with. One of the easiest ways to
Stuart Kim of Stanford University Medical Centerget the body to want to be healthier is to drink
in California says this simple genetic test could doalkaline, ionized water. It's clearing and antioxidant
all of the above and more. He and his colleagueseffect starts gently hydrating cells that are
have found a set of genes whose level ofsurrounded by toxins. The body starts to want
efficient activity reveals the overall health ofmore water and as the toxins lift and the body
muscles, organs and even cells and how well theybegins to want better food choice like salads and
are operating.more greens, even for people who don't care for
To test their theory the research team analyzedthem much. Your body also want to get moving -
the activity of thousands of genes in musclegoing for walks, riding your bike or whatever your
samples from people between 16 and 89 yearspassion is.
of age. Through analysis they found 250 genesThe largest contributing factor to reverse the age
that change their activity up or down, dependentof the genes is the anti-oxidant effect of the
on age. When the team compared the activity ofwater. If you add high antioxidant activity to a
these 'marker' genes with the muscle fitness ofnutritionally balanced diet that you are gradually
the test group, by the size of their muscle fibres,morphing into, along with mild exercise, you can
they found that the genetic activity was a muchimprove the rate of change in the genetic
more accurate indicator of fitness amongcomponents of the cell machinery. By drinking lots
individuals. The efficiency and speed at which theof alkaline, ionized water daily, you are beginning
genes operate is partly determined by the genesthe process of reversing the aging of your genes,
we inherit from our parents and partly by ourmaking their life and yours more youthful and
lifestyle choice and stress levels.vital.
It is interesting to note that only 35 percent ofRemember, you're only as old as your genes.
our predispositions are genetic. The other 65