What are telomeres?   

Telomeres are the ends of chromosomes somewhat like the plastic tips on shoelaces. They protect the ends of the chromosomes. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When telomeres get too short, the cell no longer can divide and becomes “senescent” (inactive) or dies. Cells normally can divide only about 50 to 70 times before they become senescent, die, or sustain genetic damage that can cause cancer.  When your cells can no longer divide, you die.

 Telomere shortening has been closely linked to the aging process. It is involved in a variety of chronic diseases and conditions associated with aging. Statistically, people with longer telomeres in their blood cells have an increased number of healthy years beyond the age of 60. Those over 60 with the shortest telomeres have higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.  

 Can we slow telomere shortening?

Yes! Studies confirm that healthy a lifestyle slows telomere shortening. Maintaining a healthy body composition, a good diet, calorie restriction, exercise, antioxidants, vitamin D, fish oil, avoidance of smoking and other toxic exposures, and even multivitamins, have all been shown to slow the rate at which telomeres shorten. 
 

How did we learn about telomeres?

Elizabeth Blackburn, a Yale researcher, and her colleagues won a Nobel Prize for discovering that telomeres protect the ends of the chromosomes and for the discovery of the enzyme telomerase that lengthens the telomeres. Bill Andrews later discovered the gene that could turn on telomerase. He and his team also discovered that by adding telomerase to normal cells, they could continue to divide, if necessary, as often as needed without limit.

 What is TA65?  

TA65 is the only substance outside of the research lab that has been shown to increase telomere length. It does this by activating telomerase. TA65 is a highly purified, single small molecule derived from the Chinese herb astragalus. It appears to lengthen the shortest telomeres and protect the ends of the chromosomes from damage and allows them to divide beyond their normal limit.

 What are some documented benefits of TA65?  

 
-Improvements in total and LDL cholesterol    
-Improvements in the immune system
-Significant decreases in fasting glucose and fasting insulin levels
-Decreased plasma homocysteine levels
-Functional improvements in cognitive behavior, verbal memory and shifting attention
-Statistically significant improvements in Bone Mineral Density in males and a trend towards the same in female                                                                  -A drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure

 Anecdotal benefits reported by people taking telomerase activators include:
·     More energy                        ·     Improved skin
·     More stamina                     ·     Better vision
·     More sex drive

What are the side effects?   

According to TA Sciences, “not a single adverse reaction reported by our licensed physicians.”  They go on to state that “there has not been a single diagnosis of new cancer”, and “not a single report of increased cancer load for clients who already had cancer.”

 Will TA65 interfere with anything I’m taking? 

According to TA Sciences, there are no known interactions.

 What about cancer?   
Some worry that turning on telomerase may cause cancer. This concern is due to the fact that some cancer cells appear to have telomerase turned on all the time making them “immortal.” It is true that telomerase may be turned on in those cells. However, it is not what made them cancerous. Mutations or chromosomal damage cause cells to become cancerous, not the simple fact that they are able to continue to divide past the normal number of times (which occurs with telomerase activation). Longer telomeres protect the ends of the chromosomes from damage. In other words, telomerase does not do anything to make a cell cancerous, but when turned on permanently, does allow cancerous cells to continue to divide indefinitely. In most cancerous cell, this has already occurred.  TA sciences goes on to state “TA-65® has no effect on preexisting undiagnosed or diagnosed cancers.” 

Tests done by Geron in vitro have shown that adding a telomerase activator to normal cells does not cause the loss of normal cell growth control, or cause them to go on and become cancerous.
 
According to a study in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) in 2010, “there was a statistically significant inverse relationship between telomere length and both cancer incidence and mortality.” In other words, shorter telomeres mean more cancer and more cancer deaths.