THE BIOLOGY OF AGEING
Yes, it’s true – some people age more quickly than others through a mixture of Nature and Nurture. But there are ways one can slow down the process.
Naturally, cells degenerate with age and eventually become ‘zombie’ cells. Too many zombie cells in the body really promote ageing.
However, 60% of ageing comes through the ways we nurture ourselves. And we can really reduce ageing through nurturing. We have to engage with the usual culprits to do so. That is, exercise, attitude, eating well, social interaction and sleep.
Exercise
This can improve the ability of tissue to repair and regenerate itself. It can also improve metabolic pathways and have a great effect on cardiovascular health by decreasing arterial stiffness improving vascular function. Exercise affects every single part of the body even the brain. It also reduces the possibility of getting diabetes, of being obese and developing cardio vascular disease. Ultimately, exercise slows ageing. And it’s never too late to start! Walking briskly for 10 minutes is a gentle beginning and then increasing it by a few minutes every week. Planning regular times to exercise is the best and most helpful way to begin.
Attitude
How old do you feel? That has a lot to do with the way you think. Being positive in life generally affects far better health in later years than being negative. Having a positive outlook also means you keep active and usually eat better, both of which have an effect on how we age.
There is a difference on how women and men age. Men are more vulnerable to ill health and mortality from the time they are born. Men only have one X chromosome whereas women have two so can lose one and still survive. And women are better at fighting off bacterial and viral diseases. In the hormonal system, we know that women have mainly oestrogen and men have mainly testosterone. Current research is discovering that testosterone may pre-dispose men to more illnesses. So ‘man flu’ might be a reality!
Diet
‘You are what you eat’ is very true as food affects the cells and tissues of the body for good and for bad. For instance, ‘zombie’ cells that increase with age and we can do without, are decreased by the uptake of vitamin B3.
It is widely known that a Mediterranean diet is good for health and can prolong a healthy life. There was a recent study in the USA called ‘The global Burden of Disease study’, in which it took a group of 20-year olds and changed their diet to a Mediterranean one. In doing so, it increased their longevity by 10 years. More astoundingly, the same was done with a group of 80-year old men and woman resulting in their life expectancy increasing by 3 years. Therefore, by eating healthily throughout life or even by starting in later life, then life expectancy can be prolonged.
Another dietary mantra is don’t over eat. If you do, it’s very likely you will become overweight and of course, that is bad for health.
Recently, a lot has been said about fasting and particularly intermittent fasting as it has a profound effect on the ageing of the body. Apart from controlling weight management, it can also improve the risk factors related to heart disease such as blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. It is also good for metabolic health which is how the body processes energy. And it decreases the number of ‘zombie’ cells that inhabit tissue, organ and physical function thereby slowing the ageing process.
There are several methods of intermittent fasting: alternate-day fasting where you eat normally one day and fast or eat a small meal the next day; 5-2 fasting where you eat normally for 5 days and restrict calories by ay least 75% the following 2 days; daily time-restricted eating where you eat normally within a set time window every day.
Social interaction
There is strong scientific evidence that loneliness can have the same impact on health as smoking. The effects of the stress that loneliness causes on the body’s cellular activity can now be recorded. Reflecting on the lifestyle of Mediterranean people: they have a good diet and often eat together, they naturally exercise through walking or working and frequently in groups and they naturally interact with family and friends who often live close by. All this social interaction provides a resilience to stress that would otherwise badly affect health.
Sleep
Primarily, this is when the body heals itself.
On getting enough good sleep of 6-8 hours a night, the brain forms new pathways for learning and memory and it improves the ability to pay attention, make decisions and be creative. Sleep can help lower the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. It also reduces stress and improves mood. Importantly, it impacts the immune system and can detect and destroy harmful bacteria and viruses. It can also help the body keep a healthy weight and improve growth and development in children and teenagers.
A regular night time routine can help the body and mind relax before falling asleep. This can include a short time meditating or breathing deeply and slowly and most of all, avoid having a telephone or computer in your room.
Can ageing be reversed?
Well the answer is a likely ‘yes’ but not for some time. Currently, anti-ageing technology is being applied to cells in a laboratory to discover which are the ones that reveal the pathway to a healthier human that will in turn prolong life expectancy. But there will be a few more years before humans can queue up for a procedure to reverse ageing. But it is coming…..
Ref :
Prof. Norman Lazarus, Kings College, University of London
Prof. Georgina Ellison Hughes, Kings College, University of London
Prof. Sarah Harper, University of Oxford