Stay younger by avoiding the writing on the wall

Graffiti has been scrawled on walls for thousands of years — it’s even been found on the walls of ancient Roman ruins. Aside from being an eyesore in many disadvantaged neighborhoods, those spray-painted messages you encounter are part of something bigger that can significantly influence your health.

Research shows pretty clearly that if your daily excursions take you into a noisy, vandalized high-crime neighborhood, your body and even your individual cells are aging faster than someone who lives in a wooded, pastoral locale.

“Our (research) team examined whether these environments also have a direct impact on cellular health,’ says Mijung Park, who teaches at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. “We found that indeed, biological aging processes could be influenced by socioeconomic conditions.”

To compare the aging effects of the urban jungle to forested wilderness, the scientists examined people’s telomeres, the sections of genetic material located on the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres have been likened to shoelace caps because they shield the ends of DNA from damage.

The lengths of the telomeres in a cell’s DNA reflect the cell’s biological age. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. They are only partially copied by the actions of enzymes involved in cell replication.

Eventually, as a cell enters the cellular equivalent of senior citizenhood, telomeres are so severely shortened that the cell can’t divide normally. The result, say the researchers: Shortened telomeres are linked to diseases like cancer and psychological distress like depression and anxiety.

The results of the study were striking. If you live in an urban wasteland, your cells are likely to be a shocking 12 years older, as reflected in your telomeres, than the cells of a person dwelling in a more natural, relaxed setting.

Other research has substantiated the health benefits of nature. A study at the University of Minnesota shows that green, plant-filled areas that also have lakes, rivers or oceans, can help you age more healthfully into middle-age and beyond.

To keep your health stronger with the passing years, the Minnesotans make a few recommendations I wholeheartedly agree with:

  • When dealing with your health as you age, don’t merely consider your physical body. Take a holistic approach that includes your social and mental well-being. Interact with friends and loved ones often. (This is advice I have to flog myself with. As a typical writer, if I’m not careful, I can spend too much time in hermit-like activities — reading and writing and then reading and writing some more.)
  • Get outside every day, even if it’s just a walk down the block. For me, my dogs make this a daily assignment. If I don’t walk them twice a day, they take out their frustration on the yard and property. Ever see the movie Holes?
  • Make spending time in a natural setting a priority. Sit in a park. Listen to water rushing in a stream or fountain. Get friendly with your neighborhood trees.

The message in all this research is that you shouldn’t let your house, or apartment, become a prison. Get out and live a little. Your telomeres will thank you.

Carl Lowe

By Carl Lowe

has written about health, fitness and nutrition for a wide range of publications including Prevention Magazine, Self Magazine and Time-Life Books. The author of more than a dozen books, he has been gluten-free since 2007.

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