Can you actually lengthen your telomeres? What the science says
Quick answer
The video references real peer-reviewed research on telomere biology but overstates the certainty of interventions like HBOT and NAD+ supplementation, presenting preliminary or associative findings as established methods for reversing cellular aging. The HBOT claim draws from Hachmo et al. (2020, Aging), a 35-person uncontrolled study, while the walking claim draws from a large but observational dataset that cannot confirm causation. No intervention currently has regulatory approval or strong clinical consensus for telomere lengthening as a therapeutic outcome.
Our take · Written by FormBlends editorial team · Reviewed by FormBlends Medical Team· This is not a transcript. It is our independent review of the video above.
What did @palace.of.knowledge actually say?
The creator's core argument is that aging faster than your peers comes down to telomere length, and that you can actively reverse this by stimulating telomerase. They named three interventions: hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), power walking, and supplements including what sounded like NAD+ precursors and omega-3s. They cited "Israeli scientist Shaya Friday" and the University of Leicester to back two of those claims.
To be fair, the framing is bolder than the evidence supports. Phrases like "your peers are lengthening their telomere" treat a complex biological process as a simple consumer choice. Telomere length is one biomarker among dozens associated with cellular aging, and the idea that you can reliably "lengthen" yours through lifestyle tweaks is an oversimplification of what the research actually shows.
Does the science back this up?
Partially, yes, but with real caveats that the video skips entirely. The HBOT study is real and the numbers cited are roughly accurate, but the study has serious limitations. The Leicester walking study is also real and large, but it shows association, not causation.
The HBOT reference points to Hachmo et al. (2020, Aging), published by researchers at Tel Aviv University. The study did find telomere length increases of 20-38% and a reduction in senescent cells in a small group of 35 healthy older adults. But 35 people is a tiny sample, there was no control group receiving a sham treatment, and the lead researcher is Shai Efrati, not "Shaya Friday." The University of Leicester walking study (Dempsey et al., 2022, Communications Biology) used UK Biobank data from over 400,000 participants and found faster habitual walking pace was associated with longer leukocyte telomeres. That association held up even after controlling for physical activity volume, which is notable. Omega-3 and NAD+ precursor data exist but are far less definitive than the video implies.
What did they get wrong (or right)?
The creator got the basic biology directionally correct: telomerase does maintain telomere length, shorter telomeres are associated with accelerated cellular aging, and several lifestyle factors have been linked to telomere biology in peer-reviewed literature. That part deserves credit.
What they got wrong is harder to ignore. The researcher's name is Shai Efrati, not "Shaya Friday." That is not a minor slip; it makes the citation unverifiable for anyone trying to look it up. More substantively, the video presents telomere lengthening as essentially solved, when the field is still debating whether short telomeres cause faster aging or simply correlate with it. The causality question matters enormously for whether any of these interventions actually slow aging versus just nudging a biomarker. The supplement section was nearly incoherent, with the creator audibly struggling to name the compounds, and the claim that NAD+ precursors are "proven to lengthen telomeres" goes beyond what current human trial data supports.
What should you actually know?
Telomere biology is real science, but it has not been packaged into a clean longevity protocol yet. Here is what the evidence actually supports at this point.
- HBOT has shown telomere effects in one small, uncontrolled study. It is interesting, not proven. The cost and access barriers are also significant, and no regulatory body has approved HBOT for anti-aging purposes.
- Walking faster is genuinely associated with longer telomeres in large population data, and it costs nothing. That part of the video holds up.
- NMN and NR (NAD+ precursors) have shown telomere-related effects in some animal models and a limited number of small human trials. The data is promising but not conclusive.
- Omega-3 supplementation has modest supportive evidence, including a randomized trial by Kiecolt-Glaser et al. (2013, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity) showing omega-3 supplementation was associated with reduced telomere shortening over four months.
- If you are genuinely interested in longevity biomarkers, speaking with a clinician who can review your full health picture is more useful than any single intervention.
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NAD+ metabolism and its roles in cellular processes during ageing
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The video references real peer-reviewed research on telomere biology but overstates the certainty of interventions like HBOT and NAD+ supplementation, presenting preliminary or associative findings as established methods for reversing cellular aging.
FormBlends verdict
The video references real peer-reviewed research on telomere biology but overstates the certainty of interventions like HBOT and NAD+ supplementation, presenting preliminary or associative findings as established methods for reversing cellular aging. The HBOT claim draws from Hachmo et al. (2020, Aging), a 35-person uncontrolled study, while the walking claim draws from a large but observational dataset that cannot confirm causation. No intervention currently has regulatory approval or strong clinical consensus for telomere lengthening as a therapeutic outcome.
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What it helps with
- The video references real peer-reviewed research on telomere biology but overstates the certainty of interventions like HBOT and NAD+ supplementation, presenting preliminary or associative findings as established methods for reversing cellular aging. The HBOT claim draws from Hachmo et al. (2020, Aging), a 35-person uncontrolled study, while the walking claim draws from a large but observational dataset that cannot confirm causation. No intervention currently has regulatory approval or strong clinical consensus for telomere lengthening as a therapeutic outcome.
- The HBOT telomere study (Hachmo et al., 2020) involved only 35 people with no control group, making the 20-38% telomere lengthening result interesting but far from definitive evidence.
- The University of Leicester walking study used data from over 400,000 people, making it one of the largest telomere association studies to date, but association is not causation.
What it may miss
- It may not cover eligibility, contraindications, medication interactions, lab history, or dose escalation.
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- Social video captions rarely show the full evidence base behind a claim.
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Start provider reviewWhat You'll Learn
- The HBOT telomere study (Hachmo et al., 2020) involved only 35 people with no control group, making the 20-38% telomere lengthening result interesting but far from definitive evidence.
- The University of Leicester walking study used data from over 400,000 people, making it one of the largest telomere association studies to date, but association is not causation.
- Omega-3 supplementation has more human trial support for telomere effects than NAD+ precursors do, based on current published evidence.
- Telomere length is one biomarker of cellular aging, not a direct readout of how fast you are aging overall. Multiple hallmarks of aging exist beyond telomere shortening.
- Elevated telomerase is not purely beneficial. Some cancers exploit telomerase to avoid cell death, which is a real trade-off the video does not mention.
- The researcher cited as 'Shaya Friday' appears to be Shai Efrati of Tel Aviv University. Misidentifying study authors makes independent verification nearly impossible for viewers.
- Power walking is the only intervention in this video with large-scale observational support and zero cost or risk, making it the most actionable takeaway by a wide margin.
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About the Creator
Palace of knowledge · TikTok creator
70.6K views on this video
How to Lengthen your Telomere#telomere #picoftheday #keinelustaufschule
Sources & references
Citations extracted from our medical team's review. Click any citation to search PubMed.
Read More on This Topic
Our written guides go deeper with dosing details, comparison tables, and medical-team reviewed protocols.
Not medical advice. This video was made by Palace of knowledge, not by FormBlends. Our write-up above is an editorial review, not a medical recommendation. Talk to your doctor before making any decisions about medications or treatments.