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Not the inexorable
- As it turns out, aging is not the inexorable, straightforward process we once thought it was. Our ideas of longevity and life expectancy have changed not only with medicine, but also with new views on history.
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Jan 15, 2024 · In this respect, it can be argued that aging is a physiological process as it occurs as an inexorable consequence of life. In addition, the origin of this process−likely associated with the molecular damage accumulated through life−explains why it is so widespread among living creatures.
- 10.3389/fragi.2024.1334261
- 2024
- Front Aging. 2024; 5: 1334261.
Nov 15, 2017 · As it turns out, aging is not the inexorable, straightforward process we once thought it was. Our ideas of longevity and life expectancy have changed not only with medicine, but also with new views on history.
- Overview
- The genetic aging theory
- Oxidative stress and telomere length
- Extending telomere length to slow aging
- Eradicating mitochondria to rejuvenate aging cells
- Reversing brain aging
- Eat well and exercise to reduce the effects of aging
- Worried about those wrinkles?
Wrinkles, gray hair, poorer physical and cognitive health: these are some of the common manifestations of aging. But could it be possible to reverse the aging process in the future? Studies are increasingly suggesting so.
In simple terms, aging is defined as the process of becoming older, which involves a number of biological mechanisms that lead to deterioration of health – both cognitive and physical – over time.
Of course, aging is inevitable. While many of us would like to stop the clock and avoid blowing out those birthday candles – an unsubtle reminder that we are another year older – it is beyond the realms of medical science.
What may be within reach one day, however, are ways to reduce or reverse the effects of aging, and we’re not talking about anti-aging face creams or cosmetic surgery.
Increasingly, studies have focused on strategies that could combat aging at its core – the cellular processes that contribute to age-related diseases and changes in our physical appearance as we become older.
In this spotlight, we explore the biological causes of aging, investigate what strategies researchers are proposing to fight the effects of aging, and look at what you can do to boost your chances of healthy aging.
Many researchers believe the effects of aging are a result of numerous genetic and environmental factors, and these effects vary from person to person.
The genetic aging theory suggests that, just like hair color and height, our lifespan is influenced by the genes we inherit from our parents.
Such a theory may ring true; studies have shown that children of parents who have a long lifespan are more likely to live a longer life themselves.
And research from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet (resource no longer available at www.nature.com) – published in 2013 – suggested that the aging process is influenced by mitochondrial DNA that we inherit from our mothers.
The team found that female mouse models passed mutations in mitochondrial DNA – which they accumulated through environmental exposures during their lifetime – to offspring, which reduced their lifespan.
But while evidence for the genetic aging theory is strong, the fact remains that healthy aging and longevity is largely influenced by our environment – that is, what we eat, how much we exercise, where we live and the compounds and toxins we are exposed to throughout our lifetime.
Our DNA accumulates damage from environmental exposures as we age. While cells are capable of repairing most of this damage, sometimes it is beyond repair.
This most often occurs as a result of oxidative stress, where the body does not possess enough antioxidants to fix the damage caused by free radicals – uncharged molecules that cause DNA damage. Oxidative stress has been identified as a key player in the aging process.
Another major cause of DNA damage is the shortening of telomeres. These are the caps at the end of each DNA strand that protect our chromosomes – the thread-like structures that contain all our genetic data.
Telomeres naturally shorten as we age, reducing in length each time a cell divides. But when telomeres become too short, they are no longer able to protect the chromosomes, leaving them susceptible to damage that can lead to premature aging and disease development.
A recent study from the UK’s University of Cambridge suggests that telomere shortening as a result of environmental exposures may even be passed to offspring.
The team found that rats that had lower oxygen in the womb during pregnancy – often caused by smoking during pregnancy in humans – gave birth to offspring with shorter telomeres than rats that had higher oxygen exposure.
Last year, MNT reported on a study published in The FASEB Journal, in which researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine in California revealed they have discovered a way to increase the length of human telomeres.
The team – including study coauthor Helen Blau – used a modified form of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that consisted of the coding sequence for TERT – the active component of telomerase, an enzyme that maintains telomere health – to extend the length of telomeres.
By applying three applications of the modified RNA to human cells in a lab, they found they could increase the length of telomeres by around 1,000 nucleotides – around 10% – in a matter of days.
Blau and colleagues said their findings bring us a step closer to combatting both age-related and genetic diseases.
“One day it may be possible to target muscle stem cells in a patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, for example, to extend their telomeres. There are also implications for treating conditions of aging, such as diabetes and heart disease. This has really opened the doors to consider all types of potential uses of this therapy,” says Blau.
But according to other research, there may be ways in which we can extend telomere length ourselves in order to slow the aging process.
Last month, Dr. João Passos, of the Institute for Aging at Newcastle University in the UK, and colleagues revealed a new strategy that they say could reverse the aging process: removing mitochondria from cells.
Mitochondria are described as the “powerhouses” of cells, giving them the energy to function, but previous research has also associated mitochondria with oxidative stress.
In their study, published in The Embo Journal, Dr. Passos and colleagues increased mitophagy – a process cells normally use to get rid of faulty mitochondria – in aging human cells, enabling them to eradicate all mitochondria.
They found that eliminating mitochondria from the aging cells triggered a rejuvenation process, reducing markers of cellular aging to levels that are normally seen in younger cells.
When it comes to aging, one of the biggest concerns is how it will affect our cognitive function.
The majority of people will see a decline in cognitive skills as they age. This is because certain areas of the brain – particularly those linked to learning and memory – shrink as we get older, interfering with connections between nerve cells.
Others may experience a more severe form of cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which affects around 5.1 million adults aged 65 and older in the US, though this condition is thought to be triggered by the build-up of plaques and tangles in the brain, rather than brain shrinkage.
But increasingly, researchers are uncovering medical strategies that show promise for reversing brain aging. Last month, MNT reported on a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, in which researchers successfully reversed aging in the brains of rats.
The team – from the University of California-Irvine – gave 11 rats a drug called ampakine every day for 3 months, while a further 12 rats received a placebo.
From brain scans conducted during treatment, the researchers found “middle-aged” rats in the placebo group had shorter dendrites – branch-like fibers that aid brain cell communication – and fewer dendritic branches than the “adolescent” rats that received the placebo.
While medical research certainly seems to be on the verge of finding promising strategies to reverse the aging process, it is likely to be a long time before telomere-lengthening medications hit the market.
But in the meantime, there are a number of things we can do to help reduce the effects of aging.
It goes without saying that regular exercise is good for health, but numerous studies have hailed exercise for its beneficial impact on aging.
Last October, MNT reported on a study suggesting that aerobic exercise – such as walking or cycling – from middle to older age is associated with healthier brain aging, while an earlier study linked aerobic exercise to reduced risk of Alzheimer’s.
Other research – published in PLOS One in 2014 – suggested that running several times a week may slow the aging process for older adults, promoting better mobility and quality of life, while another study found running 5-10 minutes daily could add 3 years to life expectancy.
Eating a healthy diet is also considered a key factor for healthy aging; last October, a study published in the journal Neurology suggested that following a Mediterranean-style diet may protect against brain aging.
When it comes to healthy skin aging – and reducing the appearance of those dreaded wrinkles and brown spots – the American Academy of Dermatology offer some advice:
•Protect your skin from the sun: ultraviolet radiation damages the skin fibers over time, causing it to lose its elasticity
•Avoid smoking: smoking speeds up skin aging, causing wrinkles and a dull complexion
•Eat a healthy diet: consuming lots of sugar and other refined carbohydrates has been linked to premature skin aging
•Limit alcohol consumption: alcohol dehydrates the skin, causing damage over time
•Cleanse skin gently: scrubbing your skin can speed up skin aging; wash your skin gently to remove makeup and pollution
May 10, 2023 · Why we age has been debated for many years. There are two schools of thought. One is that it is the accidental but inexorable accumulation of damage to cells and biomolecules.
Jun 1, 2004 · We will not become immortal because the inexorable loss in physiological capacity (the hallmark of the aging process) will cause most deaths and will require a new vocabulary to indicate the specific organ affected.
- Leonard Hayflick
- 2004
Oct 1, 2024 · At the biological level, ageing results from the impact of the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. This leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, a growing risk of disease and ultimately death.
Mar 11, 2024 · Learn how the aging process affects your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Read tips on how to protect your health during your senior years. Find out why everyone experiences the aging process differently. Plus, discover some of the positive changes that can result from growing older.
