Key points

Biological aging can be measured by examining the telomeres of living cells.

Telomere length is associated with increased longevity and well-being.

There are health-promoting behaviors that are associated with the telomere maintenance and even lengthening.

The World Health Organization describes wellness as not merely the absence of disease, but rather a state that transcends the absence of disease and approaches optimum psychological, physical, spiritual , and social health. The history of optimizing health dates to the ancient Greeks. The fifth-century B.C. text On Regimen, authored by Hippocrates and his students, is likely the authoritative reference that described specific means of obtaining optimum health.

The modern era of wellness can be traced to Jonas Salk’s 1

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