logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2019
1h 13m

#046 Dr. Elissa Epel on Telomeres and th...

RHONDA PATRICK, PH.D.
About this episode

Elissa Epel

Elissa Epel, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco where she serves as the director of the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center.

Her research centers on the mechanisms of healthy aging and the associations between stress, telomere length, addiction, eating, and metabolic health.

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of telomeres, the length of which is one of the useful biomarkers scientists have for getting a sense of the differences between how individuals or groups of individuals age. Telomere shortening is both a cause and a symptom of aging and plays key roles in not only how long we live, but in how well. Lifestyle factors such as poor nutrition and smoking can accelerate telomere shortening by generating oxidative stress and inflammation.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • (00:00) Introduction and overview
  • (12:14) What are telomeres
  • (17:23) Telomerase activity and cancer
  • (22:22) Factors affecting telomere length:
  • (24:50) Diet, coffee, and sugar
  • (30:16) Chronic stress
  • (35:01) Exercise
  • (40:14) Pregnancy and pre-conception
  • (51:19) Omega-3s EPA and DHA
  • (52:12) Vitamin D
  • (54:01) Weight loss and glucose management
  • (01:00:30) Meditation
  • (01:07:39) Consumer telomere length tests

If you’re interested in learning more, you can read the full show notes here.

Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter

Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A’s with Rhonda and more: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor

Up next
Sep 5
#106 How To Increase Your Testosterone Levels Naturally | Derek from MPMD
Get access to more than 70 Ask Me Anything episodes with Dr. Rhonda Patrick when you sign up as a FoundMyFitness Premium Member When testosterone runs low, libido isn’t the only casualty—muscle mass drops, fat accumulates, insulin resistance rises, and motivation declines. In thi ... Show More
3h 16m
Aug 5
#105 Exogenous ketones, my coffee protocol, and supplements for blood sugar regulation (Premium Member Q&A July 2025)
Become a FoundMyFitness Premium Member to access the full episode In this special episode, you'll get an exclusive 30-minute preview of my latest Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, normally reserved for FoundMyFitness Premium Members. Each month, Premium Members join me live to recei ... Show More
33m 5s
Jul 11
#104 Dr. Ben Bikman: How To Reverse Insulin Resistance Through Diet, Exercise, & Sleep
Get access to 130 episodes of my premium podcast, The Aliquot, as a FoundMyFitness Premium Member Insulin resistance silently shapes the trajectory of nearly every major chronic disease, yet it's often overlooked until blood sugar abnormalities become obvious. In this episode, Dr ... Show More
3h 1m
Recommended Episodes
Jul 21
#357 ‒ A new era of longevity science: models of aging, human trials of rapamycin, biological clocks, promising compounds, and lifestyle interventions | Brian Kennedy, Ph.D.
View the Show Notes Page for This Episode Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content Sign Up to Receive Peter’s Weekly Newsletter Brian Kennedy is a renowned biologist, leader in aging research, and director of the Center for Healthy Longevity at the National University of Sing ... Show More
1h 56m
Aug 4
#359 ‒ How metabolic and immune system dysfunction drive the aging process, the role of NAD, promising interventions, aging clocks, and more | Eric Verdin, M.D.
View the Show Notes Page for This Episode Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content Sign Up to Receive Peter’s Weekly Newsletter Eric Verdin is a physician-scientist and the CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging whose career has centered on understanding how epigenet ... Show More
2h 11m
Dec 2024
Reverse Aging Now: The Latest Longevity Breakthroughs | Dr. Eric Verdin
What if aging wasn’t inevitable, but something you could slow—or even reverse? In this episode of “The Dr. Hyman Show,” Dr. Eric Verdin, the president of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and I dive deep into the science of longevity. Discover how lifestyle choices, mitoc ... Show More
1h 12m
Jan 2025
#333 ‒ Longevity roundtable — the science of aging, geroprotective molecules, lifestyle interventions, challenges in research, and more | Steven Austad, Matt Kaeberlein, Richard Miller
View the Show Notes Page for This Episode Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content Sign Up to Receive Peter’s Weekly Newsletter In this special episode of The Drive, Peter introduces a brand-new roundtable format. Joined by three renowned experts in longevity science—Steven A ... Show More
2h 41m
Sep 2024
Longevity Scientist Shares Top Strategies for Improving Your Health Span w/ Matt Kaeberlein, PhD
Today’s show is brought to you by MYOXCIENCE Nutrition. In this episode Matt Kaeberlein, PhD, CEO of Optispan, discusses the significance of enhancing health span through interventions like rapamycin and highlights the role of senescent cells in chronic inflammation and age-relat ... Show More
1h 29m
Mar 2025
The Science, Evolution, and Future of Lifespan and Healthspan with Dr. Michael Ringel
On this episode of Longevity by Design, Dr. Gil Blander speaks with Dr. Michael Ringel, COO of Life Biosciences, about the science of aging and longevity. Michael discusses how evolution influences lifespan and why aging occurs. He explains the trade-off between resource allocati ... Show More
1h 12m
Aug 7
190. Is Spermidine The Solution To Slow Down Cellular Aging?
Scientists tracked 829 people for 20 years and discovered that one “embarrassingly named” nutrient, Spermidine, reduced death rates by nearly 40%. This polyamine doesn’t just slow aging, it literally stabilises your DNA and activates cellular repair pathways that tell your cells ... Show More
9m 7s
Sep 2024
The Surprising Link Between Space Travel and Aging with Dr. David Furman
On this episode of Longevity by Design, Ashley Reaver, MS, RD, CSSD, and Dr. Gil Blander, delve into the intricate world of the immune system and its impact on aging with Dr. David Furman, Associate Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. David discusses his ground ... Show More
1h 8m
Sep 25
#282 - Longevity biomarkers for healthy aging and well-being | Dr. Matt Kaeberlein & Mike Haney
Longevity is a hot health topic, but what factors move the needle on not only how long you live but how long you experience relatively good health? Some lab and other tests can help assess how healthy you’re aging and provide context for what lifestyle and other changes to make. ... Show More
1h 50m