The Telomere Effect

A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer

By: Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, Dr. Elissa Epel

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

A groundbreaking book coauthored by the Nobel Prize winner who discovered telomerase and telomeres' role in the aging process and the health psychologist who has done original research into how specific lifestyle and psychological habits can protect telomeres, slowing disease and improving life.

Have you wondered why some 60-year-olds look and feel like 40-year-olds and why some 40-year-olds look and feel like 60-year-olds? While many factors contribute to aging and illness, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn discovered a biological indicator called telomerase, the enzyme that replenishes telomeres, which protect our genetic heritage. Dr. Blackburn and Dr. Elissa Epel's research shows that the length and health of one's telomeres are a biological underpinning of the long-hypothesized mind-body connection. They and other scientists have found that changes we can make to our daily habits can protect our telomeres and increase our health spans (the number of years we remain healthy, active, and disease-free).

The Telomere Effect reveals how Blackburn and Epel's findings, together with research from colleagues around the world, cumulatively show that sleep quality, exercise, aspects of diet, and even certain chemicals profoundly affect our telomeres and that chronic stress, negative thoughts, strained relationships, and even the wrong neighborhoods can eat away at them.

Drawing from this scientific body of knowledge, they share lists of foods and suggest amounts and types of exercise that are healthy for our telomeres, mind tricks you can use to protect yourself from stress, and information about how to protect your children against developing shorter telomeres, from pregnancy through adolescence. And they describe how we can improve our health spans at the community level, with neighborhoods characterized by trust, green spaces, and safe streets.

The Telomere Effect will make you reassess how you live your life on a day-to-day basis. It is the first book to explain how we age at a cellular level and how we can make simple changes to keep our chromosomes and cells healthy, allowing us to stay disease-free longer and live more vital and meaningful lives.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and Dr. Elissa Epel (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"A revolutionary set of findings - with a wealth of science-based suggestions - that can transform the way we live our lives, shaping the very health of our cells by how we use our minds." (Daniel J. Siegel, MD, New York Times best-selling author of Brainstorm)

"A classic. One of the most exciting health books to emerge in the last decade. It explains how we can slow the way we age at a fundamental level." (Eric Kandel, Nobel laureate and author of In Search of Memory)

"This book is revolutionary, transforming the way our world thinks about health and living well, disease, and death. It reveals a stunning picture of healthy aging - it's not simply about individuals, it's about how we are connected to each other, today and through future generations. It is hard to overstate this book's importance." (Dean Ornish, MD, founder and president, Preventive Medicine Research Institute)

The fascinating biological science of telomeres

I’d heard a bit about telomeres in undergraduate and graduate biochemistry courses, but the explosion of knowledge regarding function and structure, along with effects from the environment, on telomere health was fascinating. Parts of the book were a bit “preachy,” but the authors have so much passion for their subject that this was understandable. I’m really glad I listened to it.

Great Research and a Must Read!

It’s a great research into the Telomere Studies that covers a wide range of data. It’s compiled very well that even a Middle School Student can understand, but complex enough that can be appreciated by Researchers in various fields of study! What a great resource for prevention and increasing long life and health!

Great book!

I learned a lot of useful information! I am so glad I read this.

Well worth the read or listen!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had no idea this had been studied! Narrator wasn't my favourite, but adequate.

Good overall advice for life, not deeply specific to telomeres

There is a lot of good and broad advice about how telomeres affect health, and how everything from childhood adversity to social cohesion to wealth disparities between a society’s rich and poor lead to bad outcomes, and telomeres both confirm that these stressors leave a lasting impact, and contribute towards bad health outcomes (cancer, senescence (cellular aging)).

If you are looking for deep and specific technical insights you will find them here, although not at any length. The book mostly covers ways to live your life in a healthier way, Ie, how to interact with your children to reduce stress, the importance of means such as better diets and meditations, good interpersonal communication and genuine societal interactions, important things to consider for pregnant mothers, etc. This is primarily a book on general health and psychosocial practices as seen through the lens of telomeres.

AMAZED

It is amazing how many different things effect our telomeres...From what we eat, how we sleep, and even what we think...I think if you are "Toeing the line" on what is good for you, you are doing well... There are also factors we cannot control, like how your mother did while carrying us during pregnancy … It was an interesting read...

Great information delivered well

Easy to understand science based info on telomeres. A different approach to aging well and gracefully

great scientific information for the layperson

The book goes over what we know so far about telomeres and offers several citations through out. Encourages people to live healthy, less stressful, exercise regularly lives to keep your telomeres healthy and reduce cell aging.

Yes, there's we don't know yet about telomeres, but the information in this book is a great foundation and a reminder of things we all can do for our individual and everyone's health around us.

Good info overall

this is a good book overall and I enjoyed learning about telomeres and what can affect their length. However there was much of the book that was more focused on healthy living and stress reduction your common things we know contribute to disease. He was interesting to actually see but there is a measurable difference cellular DNA that occurs when someone it's an unhealthy and stressful life and this can be seen in the rapid aging of some people based on their dietary and mental habits. Overall I enjoyed the book, but do realize that it is not as science novel but more a consumer level book.

A Must Read for OUR children

An awesome read. Layman’s terms for a complex subject. The reader has a very pleasant voice.