The Telomere Effect @duffythewriter review

The Telomere Effect

Have you ever wondered why some sixty-year-olds look and feel like forty-year-olds, and why some forty-year-olds look and feel like sixty-years-olds? More importantly – can you choose which outcome will happen to you? Written by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and health psychologist Dr Elissa Epel,  THE TELOMERE EFFECT reveals the ground-breaking science at the heart of ageing and what you can do to help reverse it.

I guess the first question is ‘What is The Telomere Effect anyway?’.  Well, I’m still not sure of the exact science, but it seems to be, according to the book, repeating segments of noncoding DNA that live on the ends of your chromosomes. Telomeres help to determine how fast your cells age and when they die, depending on how quickly they wear down. Long telomeres are good, short ones are bad.

What does The Telomere Effect tell us?

We are bombarded with the next big thing in health and fitness every single day. Juicing, fasting days, paleo, butter coffee, kale, chia, and even unpasteurised milk, are all meant to bring us amazing health benefits. Is The Telomere Effect any different to the other books out there telling us how to dramatically change our lives? Well, it is, a little.  The Telomere Effect doesn’t tell us anything we don’t already know. Eat well, do what you love, love others, meditate, sleep properly and keep fit.  We are all aware of these things, it’s just life,work, and temptation get in the way!

The difference with this book is that it explains in great detail the science of what happens to your body and the studies completed, which demonstrate why you should rethink how you live, if you live poorly.  Be warned though, a lot of the studies were performed on animals, and I must admit I found this quite overwhelming and put me off reading some parts and learning about the specifics of how telomeres work. It’s written by a Nobel Prize winner, so expect some credible evidence on these telomeres and the effect on the body, but please don’t expect to find anything new about how we should live to be healthy and happy.

If you are into your science, or health and fitness in a big way and want to understand why some of us look younger or have a body that seems to age before its time, then you may get something out of The Telomere Effect. However, if you are looking for a ‘new way’ to eat, live, and be well, this won’t satisfy you.  There is no miracle cure to be found within these pages that has not already been shouted from the rooftops. However, there is some science and understanding of the human body and mind to justify why we should listen to some of these health and diet recommendations.

2 out of 5 from me

The Telomere Effect will be released on the 26th Jan. Find out more for yourself here at Booktopia