Table of Contents
Authors' Note: Why We Wrote This Book xv
Introduction-A Tale of Two Telomeres 1
Part I Telomeres: A Pathway to Living Younger
Chapter 1 How Prematurely Aging Cells Make You Look, Feel, and Act Old 19
Chapter 2 The Power of Long Telomeres 42
Chapter 3 Telomerase, the Enzyme That Replenishes Telomeres 54
Renewal Labs: A Guide 67
Part II Your Cells are Listening to Your Thoughts
Assessment: Your Stress Response Style Revealed 71
Chapter 4 Unraveling: How Stress Gets into Your Cells 74
Chapter 5 Mind Your Telomeres: Negative Thinking, Resilient Thinking 100
Assessment: How Does Your Personality Influence Your Stress Responses? 127
Chapter 6 When Blue Turns to Gray: Depression and Anxiety 138
Master Tips for Renewal: Stress-Reducing Techniques Shown to Boost Telomere Maintenance 153
Part III Help Your Body Protect Its Cells
Assessment: What's Your Telomere Trajectory? Protective and Risky Factors 161
Chapter 7 Training Your Telomeres: How Much Exercise Is Enough? 172
Chapter 8 Tired Telomeres: From Exhaustion to Restoration 188
Chapter 9 Telomeres Weigh In: A Healthy Metabolism 207
Chapter 10 Food and Telomeres: Eating for Optimal Cell Health 224
Master Tips for Renewal: Science-Based Suggestions for Making Changes That Last 243
Part IV Outside In: The Social World Shapes Your Telomeres
Chapter 11 The Places and Faces That Support Our Telomeres 255
Chapter 12 Pregnancy: Cellular Aging Begins in the Womb 280
Chapter 13 Childhood Matters for Life: How the Early Years Shape Telomeres 294
Conclusion-Entwined: Our Cellular Legacy 319
The Telomere Manifesto 327
Acknowledgments 329
Information about Commercial Telomere Tests 333
Notes 337
Permissions 381
Index 385
About the Authors 397