Aging reasons. Why does a person grow old - seven fatal injuries to the body. Overcoming the ninth cause of aging

Aging of the body is a physiological process, accompanied by natural changes, the nature of which is programmed by heredity. This process involves a change in the mechanisms of the body's work, which leads to a violation of homeostasis and an increase in age-related destabilization of vital functions.

Many want to preserve youth and beauty, but the body can age not only with the achievement of a certain age, but also with the presence of malfunctions in the work of internal systems. Such changes may not always be immediately visible externally, since the aging process begins at the cellular level.

Aging reasons

Aging of the body can occur for the following reasons:

• hard physical labor;
• constant stress;
• significant consumption of coffee or tea;
• smoking;
• the use of alcoholic beverages;
• the presence of a large amount of toxins and toxins in the body;
• increased blood sugar levels.

The life span of a person is influenced by the mother's body. If a person was born in the early reproductive period of a woman's life, he will stay young longer. Moreover, women live longer than men, which is associated with the number of chromosomes (women have two X chromosomes, and men have one), which ensure the reliable operation of the genetic apparatus of cells.

Hypoxia and hypoxic conditions

The aging of the body begins with the cells, so if they lack water, vitamins or the acid-base balance in the body is disturbed, then the skin begins to age. An insufficient amount of oxygen in the tissues of the body leads to oxygen starvation or hypoxia.

Lack of air in cells often provokes various diseases, and also affects the rate of aging of the body. The body requires a lot of energy to work, but oxygen starvation causes a lack of energy for cellular processes, which leads to their death.

Hypoxia can be of two types:

• sharp;
• chronic.

Acute oxygen starvation of cells can develop with blood loss, stressful situations and heavy physical exertion. The causes of oxygen starvation in the body can be associated with high-mountainous terrain, constant stay in a confined space, and also with a violation of oxygen supply to the cells of the body.

Hypoxia develops into a chronic form with a prolonged lack of oxygen in the tissues. Chronic hypoxia is also associated with pathological conditions of the body: diseases of the respiratory, endocrine, cardiovascular systems. Violation of oxidative processes in cells and tissues leads to:

• increased fatigue;
• increased heart rate with minor physical exertion;
• shortness of breath;
• dystrophic changes in organs and tissues.

With oxygen starvation, pharmacological agents and treatment methods can help, which will help to deliver oxygen in the required amount. Medicines increase the body's resistance to oxygen starvation and reduce the need for oxygen in cells. Sports and exercise can also help combat the problem of lack of oxygen. Correct work of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems will ensure the penetration of oxygen into the cells, which will increase the tone of the whole organism.

Lack of nutrients and water in cells

Cell nutrition occurs through the assimilation of vitamins, trace elements and nutrients that enter the human body through food and water. At the same time, not all useful elements that the body receives are absorbed in the required amount, which becomes the cause of cell dysfunction. Such changes in the functioning of cells are the cause of diseases and premature aging of the body as a whole.

For cells to function normally, they need the following components:

• minerals;
• amino acids;
• vitamins;
• enzymes;
• fatty acid.

The nutrition of the body's cells is disrupted if there is a deficiency of one of the components. The natural formation of new cells in the body occurs with the help of amino acids, and vitamins are responsible for their construction. Enzymes control the formation of new cells, and fatty acids are essential for cell membranes. The balance of all five components in food will allow cells to function normally.

The lack of essential trace elements makes cells weak and vulnerable to infection and disease. The cells cannot function naturally, so the body becomes weak and the person feels tired. A properly balanced diet will ensure that cells are functioning properly.

Lack of water in the body also leads to premature aging, since cells are made of water. Water provides chemical processes in the body and helps to flush out toxins. Having a sufficient amount of water in the body improves metabolic processes, so it is worth drinking up to 2.5 liters of water a day.

The effect of toxins on the body

In the process of life in the body, many processes occur, as a result of which slags and harmful substances appear. If all organs work correctly, toxins are removed, and the body is cleansed, but with age, harmful substances accumulate, especially if the basics of proper nutrition are not followed.

Harmful substances enter the body along with food and water. These include:

• heavy metal salts;
• industrial poisons;
• pesticides;
• carcinogens;
• cholesterol.

Consuming organic food and drinking water reduces the amount of harmful substances in the body, as well as giving up alcoholic beverages and smoking. To purify water, you can use special filters or purchase water from trusted manufacturers.

Cholesterol is found in many foods and has a negative effect on the walls of blood vessels, which can cause a dangerous disease of atherosclerosis, which often becomes the cause of death. Modern methods of clearing cholesterol help reduce its amount in the body, which will slow down the aging of the body and increase its tone.

All tissues of the body consist of cells, the change in which leads to visual aging of a person. This is especially true for the skin. Collagen is needed by cells to build connections, which makes the skin supple, taut and evens out its relief. Collagen fibers fill the space between cells and muscles. They are elastic and resilient. In most cases, the body produces enough collagen on its own for up to 30 years.

With age, the process of natural collagen production slows down, which affects the condition of the skin and the whole body. The skin dries up and becomes thinner, so all changes in the body become outwardly noticeable. The aging of the body can be stopped if the tissues have a sufficient amount of natural "building" protein - collagen. To do this, you can perform rejuvenation procedures using the COLLOST® gel.

Benefits of using COLLOST® gel :

• return of elasticity;
• reducing the appearance of wrinkles;
• restoration of skin color and relief;
• improving skin tone;
• increasing the skin's resistance to external factors.

At the heart of COLLOST® gel is natural collagen, which is as close as possible to human collagen. Having enough collagen helps to sharpen the contours of the face, and all the visual signs of aging are reduced.

After rejuvenation procedures using COLLOST® gel, the skin relief is smoothed and fine expression lines are smoothed out. Due to the sufficient amount of collagen in the dermal layer of the skin, the damaged tissues are regenerated, which gives a good anti-aging effect.

Or here: some people smoke and drink, but at the same time live long, while others lead a healthy lifestyle, do not allow themselves anything superfluous, but fade away in their prime. Many scientists who study centenarians note that almost all of them had bad habits.

Unfortunately, even Zhanna Kalman, who set the record for life expectancy - died at 122 years old - quit smoking only at 117 years old. However, who knows what would have happened if she hadn't smoked at all? What if she lived to be one hundred and thirty? - says Martin Luther University professor Andreas Simm.

And yet there is the most direct connection between biological age and a healthy lifestyle. This was shown by the research of Mr. Simm, who in recent years has been studying one of the markers of aging. He is confident that biological age can be controlled, and tried to reassure the MK observer of this.

Professor Simm, today many scientists are studying the biomarkers of aging, which can be used to determine the biological age of a person. First, explain what it is all about?

Everyone is well aware of the existence of markers by which one can determine certain diseases - for example, oncological ones. But there are markers that indicate age-related changes and the functional state of the human body. At the same time, the data obtained indicate the age more accurately than the date of birth.

The full range of such parameters has not yet been determined. And there is no universal biomarker, since aging is a complex biological process. But today scientists have identified many candidates for a role as a biomarker of aging. For example, this is growth hormone, the length of the cellular telomere, the accumulation of free radicals, and protein glycation.

Today it is quite obvious that using a system of biomarkers, it is possible to purposefully reduce biological age.

- You are studying a marker associated with protein glycation. What are its prospects?

It is known that the older a person gets, the more he gets sick. There are many age-related diseases: cancer, cardiovascular, Alzheimer's, and others.

A lot of scientific evidence suggests that the trigger mechanism for all these diseases is glycation of body proteins - that is, the combination of glucose molecules with proteins. During aging, advanced glycation end products, called AGEs, accumulate in tissues. They are formed in cells with age-related diseases, diabetes. However, they enter the body with some food: fried, baked, smoked, sweet, flour.

AGEs have been shown to damage cells in a variety of ways. Ultimately, they are blamed for the emergence of many diseases: cataracts, kidney failure, Alzheimer's disease ...

The higher the level of AGE in the body, the higher the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Our studies have shown that patients with a large amount of glycated proteins do not tolerate surgery well and have difficulty recovering. AGE is a constant value, this amino acid is found in all organs: heart, liver, brain, etc. And it is easily measured by a skin sample. Using this marker, we today calculate the biological age of a person.

- What does the level of this marker depend on?

15-20% of genetics. With aging, some people accumulate AGE earlier, some later. But 80% of its level depends on the lifestyle.

In laboratory work, we investigated the contribution of AGE to the development of pathological conditions in humans, as well as the relationship between the level of this marker and a person's lifestyle. First of all, AGE accumulates not only in sick people, but also in healthy, but aging people.

In addition, our research has shown that AGE depends on what you eat, what and how much you drink, how physically active you are.

We conducted research among volunteers between the ages of 5 and 100 at our university. It was found that those who smoke a lot have the biological age of the elderly. Those who regularly play sports have a lower biological age.

However, it is also curious that the biological age of smokers who regularly devote time to physical activity often corresponds to the real one - that is, sports negates the consequences of smoking.

Those who eat a lot of sweets are biologically older than they actually are. But in people over 95, the level of AGE is higher, the more diseases they have.

- How can you reduce your biological age? Stop smoking?

Our research has shown that biological age can be changed through lifestyle changes. For example, give up fried and baked products, since food products that have been heat treated at temperatures above 120 degrees contain glycation end products.

You should limit or exclude foods with a high glycemic index: sweets, cakes, cakes, sugary sodas, pasta, potatoes, etc. Remember that consuming large amounts of sugar leads to the accumulation of inflammatory processes in the body, arthritis, dementia, high blood pressure, heart failure ...

As soon as a person begins to eat properly and play sports, the amount of AGE in the tissues decreases, which means that aging slows down. And vice versa: in people who smoke, abuse alcohol, the biological age is almost always higher than the actual one.

- Is it possible to predict life expectancy by AGE level?

So far, we have conducted research on this subject only among patients with diabetes mellitus. In patients with high AGE levels among this group, a 95% mortality risk can be predicted within the next five years.

However, the ultimate goal of our research is to learn how to manage this biomarker and fight aging, thereby increasing the duration of not just life, but an active life. Today world scientists have recognized aging as a disease and are now thinking about how to treat it. By the way, most centenarians do not get sick until the last day. They die like albatrosses - suddenly, full of health.

- Is it possible to reduce the level of AGE with medication?

Today, scientists are thinking about how to break such crosslinks in glycated proteins and restore tissue elasticity. Substances have been found that have shown good results in experiments with older dogs. Those were recovering the shape of the heart, which changes with age. Such studies have not yet been carried out on humans, but the issue requires careful study.

- From the point of view of evolution, aging is a blessing or a punishment?

Aging is essentially a growing inability to adapt to change. For example, imagine: there are two young women and two elderly women on a tram. They are talking. The tram drives up to the bend, slows down. The young continue to speak, while the older ones become silent. They need it in order not to fall. They already have poor balance and cannot speak while concentrating on body position.

Each organ has its own function and its own margin of safety. With age, function is maintained, and strength - the ability to overcome stress - decreases.

In fact, we are getting old in order to live. Damage in the genome accumulates every year. Every breakdown can lead to illness. Aging slows down these processes and helps us avoid cancer. The debut of diseases in humans depends on the rate at which the body accumulates disorders. Someone had it earlier, someone later.

- I see you are drinking water. How about other drinks?

I also drink tea and coffee in the morning. I drink at least 1.5 liters of water every day. You probably want to ask about alcohol as well?

- Want.

It has been proven to be beneficial - but only in small doses. And this is one glass of wine a day. And not every day, but only 3-4 times a week. However, if you are under 25 years old, you should not drink alcohol at all.

I know that in Russia people drink much more. And if we compare the graphs of alcohol consumption and mortality from various diseases, then there is a direct connection.

I have compiled some golden rules of longevity based on evidence-based medicine. First and foremost is physical activity. But this is not a harsh sport!

A person should be active not for an hour a day at the gym - during the day. People trained for movement absorb oxygen better, and oxygen reduces the intensity of protein glycation. Ideal activities are dancing, brisk walking (10,000 steps per day), stretching. Physical activity changes the AGE level at any age, even in a group over 85!

For example, a decrease in blood pressure in such an age group does not give such an effect - blood pressure must be monitored until the age of 85; further lowering it is simply dangerous.

Weight loss is also beneficial only at a young age. In the elderly, it leads to a reduction in muscle mass. Therefore, protein supplements and protein foods are beneficial for the elderly.

The second main rule is nutrition. Eat as many colorful vegetables as possible. But not fruit! Recommendations to eat five different fruits a day were recognized as incorrect - fruits increase the glycemic index and trigger the process of glycation of proteins, they quickly gain weight from them. It is also important to eat enough fish and drink plenty of water.

The third rule is to train your brain. For this, crosswords are suitable, and best of all, learning a foreign language or learning to play a musical instrument.

Fourth - communicate, do some kind of collective work, especially if you are over fifty.

Fifth - be optimists, all centenarians are optimists. Those who like to live live longer. For example, my glass is always half full

Sixth, deal with stress.

Seventh - sleep at least seven hours a day, only in a dream a number of hormones and substances important for the body are produced. And eighth, don't smoke. Zhanna Kalman, although she smoked, was optimistic, ate a lot of vegetables and rode a bicycle until her last days.

REFERENCE "MK":

Scientists have been studying a rodent named naked mole rat for a long time: it does not age, does not suffer from cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and lives an extremely long time. Researchers from the Department of Physiology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center have shown that the formation of glycated hemoglobin does not increase with age in the mole rat.

REFERENCE "MK":

Scientists have shown that it is protein glycation, and not fatty foods at all, that causes atherosclerosis (the main cause of heart attack), as well as type 2 diabetes. Glycation can damage not only proteins, but also lipids and DNA, which contributes to mutations leading to the formation of cancerous tumors.

With age, the signs of old age appear more and more: bones become more fragile, muscle tone decreases, gray hair appears, the efficiency of the cardiovascular system decreases, antibodies are produced worse in the immune system, diseases "stick" more often, and it is more difficult to cure them, memory disorders are observed and the activity of the nervous system is disrupted.

At the same time, there is no unified theory of the appearance of the causes and effects of old age today. Moreover, old age is not considered a disease at all.

It is known for sure that aging is very closely related to the development of a mature state (the state of the body before reaching reproductive age). If a representative of a certain species grows and develops quickly, then its life expectancy will also be short. If we understand how exactly the rate of development of the body is regulated, then it will be possible to influence the aging process, scientists believe. For example, a person can live to be 100 years old, and the age of a macaque is limited to 30 years, although "only" 30 million years ago, humans and macaques were one species. What is the reason for such global differences in life expectancy of different species, scientists are still unclear.

In general, aging is a process caused by many factors, the action of which accumulates throughout life and leads to increased vulnerability of the body. Scientists are not always able to unambiguously trace the causal relationship "old age - illness" or "illness - old age", but they agree on one thing for sure: it is necessary to fight old age on all fronts. What fronts do scientists identify?

"Factory of leukocytes"

The body begins to age at the age of 20-25. At this age, we begin to get sick more often, and it becomes more difficult to be treated. The thing is that an obstacle to diseases in the body is immunity, whose main function is to recognize and destroy "foreign" cells among "friends". The cells of the immune system - lymphocytes - are transferred from the bone marrow to the thymus gland of the body, which is also called the thymus (translated from Greek - "life force"). These cells are able to fight infectious microorganisms, viruses and other foreign elements. They regularly enter the bloodstream in large numbers and "patrol" the blood vessels.

The problem is that the thymus gland develops only until puberty, that is, until about 20 years, after which the process of its degradation begins.

Lymphocytes are formed less and less, the level of the body's defense is greatly reduced. By the age of 40, the body can still fight diseases known to it, but against new, first-emerging diseases, it becomes practically powerless. Therefore, with age, people begin to get sick more often.

Is the withering of the thymus an evolutionary programmed process or the result of an accumulation of errors? Rather the first than the second. But scientists are still working on this problem. For example, was shown that a change in just one gene in a roundworm-nematode C. elegans leads to a twofold increase in its life span. Man has a much more complex organization than a worm, but this can still be considered a small victory.

To share or not to share?

Man is made up of organs, organs are made of tissues, and tissues are made up of trillions of cells. Accordingly, aging of a person is the aging of his cells, or rather, of their information-hereditary system stored in the nuclei. In fact, cells are the "koshchey egg" of our body.

Imagine that each cell is a small cube, and a person is a self-assembled constructor. This constructor is so complex that inside each cube there is an assembly instruction (its role is played by the hereditary information of the cell - DNA), and each detail itself knows where its place is and moves towards it in small steps. The realization of hereditary information and the movement of the cell in the desired direction is carried out thanks to internal molecular machines, which, unfortunately, do not work with perfect accuracy.

And even the presence of reparative mechanical machines aimed at correcting the flaws of assembly machines cannot guarantee that the hereditary instruction will be executed without distortion.

There are many reasons for this. When the time comes, the cell is divided into two identical parts. This is preceded by a doubling of all internal components of the cell, so that each daughter cell gets the same complete set. The hardest part of this process is to make an exact copy of the instructions for the subsequent assembly.

But not all cells can afford a static existence, because if they do not divide, then there will simply be no one to work in the body.

It turns out that time is working against us. The older a person is, the more his cells mutate, and when there are too many of them, the cell stops dividing completely and dies - goes into a state of apoptosis. Attempts to strengthen the cell's reparation apparatus can bring victory on this battlefield. But the artificial cancellation of apoptosis is a controversial idea. This can be done by making cells immortal, but an endless life with a set of all kinds of diseases caused by mutations is not what people dream about.

Division limit

In 1961, a professor of anatomy at the University of California established that human skin cells in laboratory conditions have a limit of division - no more than 50 times, after which they will die. The phenomenon was called the Hayflick limit, but the reason for this behavior of the cell became clear later.

With each cell division, the end portions of the hereditary "instruction" (DNA), called telomeres, cannot be copied completely, which is due to the specificity of the copying mechanism. Consequently, with each cell division, the ends of the telomeres are slightly shortened. At some point, the “edges” of the DNA are shortened so much that the cell can no longer divide at all. This, according to telomere theory, is the essence of the aging process of cells.

This theory was simultaneously developed by American scientists Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Grader, and a Soviet scientist. Later it turned out that a special enzyme - telomerase - can protect the ends of chromosomes from underreplication and stabilize them. In 2009, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for this discovery.

At first, the scientific community believed in the discovery of the key to prolonging life, and telomerase became a candidate for the title of a kind of philosopher's stone.

But here Russian scientists again entered the research ring, who showed in experiments on mice that an increase in the amount of telomerase does not lead to a significant increase in life expectancy. All mice - both wild (with short telomeres) and laboratory (with long telomeres) - live roughly the same length of time. And now the situation on this front is still unchanged, and scientists don't understand yet , whether the lengthening of telomeres somehow affects the aging of the body or not.

Neighborly friendship

There are linkages between cells called membrane proteins. Thanks to these linkages, cells know everything about their "neighbors", receive signals from them, and their connections do not fall apart. But the adhesion weakens over time, the cells cease to stick together and cannot find out what is happening to their "neighbors". They become loners, lose all connections with the outside world, and the "constructor" falls apart.

If you imagine a cell in the body as a room, then the membrane protein will be the handle from the front door. In this case, part of the handle is located outside the room and penetrates into the adjacent room, and part is located inside the room. As soon as the "neighbor" pulls the handle, the door opens, and then you can enter the cage room.

This is how large and small biomolecules enter the cell, which, transmitting information, start or stop, speed up or slow down vital processes.

But if the handle breaks, then nothing can get into the room, and information - for example, from the senses - can remain at the threshold of damaged cells, without reaching the brain for processing. This is how the signaling pathways in cells are disrupted, which leads to neurodegenerative diseases - another companion of aging.

Life expectancy vs quality of life

We all grow old and die sooner or later - such is the merciless nature of man. But each of us wants to live longer, and to extend that period of life when the body is healthy, active and strong. Therefore, the efforts of scientists are thrown not to increase the lifespan, but to extend the active period of life - healthspan.

Longer healthspan is guaranteed if the likelihood of illness is reduced or the likelihood of recovery is increased. In any of these scenarios, age-related illnesses should be minimized. Researchers are now focusing on diseases such as cancer, cataracts, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, etc. In Russia, the issues of healthy longevity at different levels are addressed in many research institutes and centers. One of these is the recently established MIPT Center for Research on the Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-related Diseases, in which pathologies are investigated at the level of membrane proteins. In particular, this is engaged Laboratory for Advanced Study of Membrane Proteins in cooperation with foreign colleagues.

For a long time, it was believed that the cause of the disease is amyloid plaques. In the human brain, with age, a substance can accumulate in excess - the monomer beta-amyloid. It is a byproduct of improper breakdown of the membrane protein responsible for the growth and maturation of nerve cells. Deposits of beta amyloid are called plaques. Plaques, clinging to the cell, trigger the mechanisms of apoptosis.

Human aging is a complex biological process, which consists in gradual wear and degenerative changes in all body systems. The study of aging processes has been going on for many centuries, various hypotheses and theories have been put forward that would help to significantly increase the quality and duration of life in the future.

Despite centuries of research on aging, it is not possible to come to an unambiguous conclusion why irreversible degenerative changes in our body begin to occur at a certain age. There are over three hundred different hypotheses and assumptions on this topic.

Ancient philosophers associated this natural process with the irreversible expenditure of vital energy, the loss of essential chemicals, enzymes, a decrease in the rate of metabolic processes, intoxication, as well as poisoning of the body with the products of its own intestinal flora. Long-term accumulation of harmful compounds by cells leads to a slowdown in the recovery of all tissues and organs.

Today aging and old age are associated with functional disorders of the higher nervous system, endocrine disruptions, tissue dehydration, harmful effects on humans of cosmic dust, radiation, hypoxia.

The science of aging human

Considering the fact that studies of the aging process have been going on for more than one century, it is not surprising that a separate science is devoted to this area - gerontology, which also considers the issues of preventing and slowing down the mechanisms of wear and tear of the body. Among the huge number of proposed hypotheses that are put forward to explain the concept of natural aging of a person, gerontologists tend to single out three.

Theory number 1

The human body wears out like the body of any other living creature on the planet.

In nature, everything is subject to aging; over time, genes accumulate a large number of mutations and changes.

The influence of free radicals plays a significant role in the development of degenerative processes. A certain amount of free radicals is always present in the human body, is controlled by the immune system, helps fight viruses and bacteria, activate the required enzymes, promotes the production of hormones, and the release of energy. An excess of aggressive molecules leads to a violation of the structure of the protein, genetic information.

Chemical reactions involving free radicals do not go unnoticed, pathological processes cause a violent reaction of the immune system, which further weakens. Such an excessive load can lead to the development of oncology, diseases of the cardiovascular, urinary and other systems. Unprotected cells are exposed to the action of free radicals, as a result of which the integrity of the membranes - lipoprotein membranes, necessary for full exchange, nutrition, division, regeneration, and respiration of cells, is disrupted. Pathologies of biochemical reactions lead to the development of diseases and premature aging of a person.

Theory number 2

With age, the ability for rapid, high-quality self-renewal of the body is lost, with which there are no problems in the first half of the life cycle.

At a young age, cells regenerate very quickly, almost regardless of the nature of the damage. If the regeneration process occurs more intensively than the negative factor affects, this has a minimal effect on the state of health.

From a certain age, the mechanisms of renewal slow down significantly, and later they are completely lost, which inevitably leads to death. It has not yet been possible to accurately explain this phenomenon, various philosophical assumptions related to natural selection, the need to constantly adapt to changing environmental conditions, the lack of interest in nature in the generation that has already reproduced offspring come to the rescue.

Theory number 3

The development and flow of processes in the human body leading to self-destruction, wear and tear of vital systems.

The third reason is the logical consequence of the second. First, nature gives strength, the ability to quickly recover, maintain physical health until reproductive age and the appearance of offspring. Later, the interest of nature weakens, aging mechanisms are triggered. The opinions of many scientists on this issue agree, old age and aging are not inevitable, just nature itself considered them necessary.

Evidence that eternal youth is possible is the results of studying immortal cancer cells, bacteria, protozoa, practically unlimited restoration of cells of the epidermis, blood, and gastric epithelium. The study of aging allowed us to assume that the life cycle of a cell is programmed, hence the emergence of a separate science that considers the biology of cell death. Nature considers it necessary for living beings to leave after the fulfillment of their reproductive function, and also assumes various factors that help the body to gradually wear out.

From this we can conclude that the key to eternal youth does not lie in the invention of a miracle pill. It is not yet possible to change the program of natural self-renewal of cells, as well as their further death, because this is at the genetic level. Science will take decades to be successful in this area. You can indirectly influence the body in known ways: try to lead a healthy lifestyle, monitor your diet, do not forget about physical activity, and avoid stress.

Signs of aging

Withering is a natural biological process that involves age-related changes that begin long before old age, but inevitably lead to a gradual, increasing shutdown of the ability to adapt to environmental conditions, to recover from the resulting violations.

The main indicators of a person's biological age are disruption of vital systems, a decrease in the ability to adapt, the development of diseases that imply a decrease in life expectancy

The processes associated with the approach of old age occur at different cellular levels and proceed at different rates. Scientists distinguish physiological aging associated with the natural wear and tear of vital systems, and pathological premature, which is characterized by a general acceleration of the rate of age-related changes.

Diagnostics of premature aging involves: consideration of the calendar age, which is the number of years lived, as well as the biological one, which determines the nature of changes in the body, taking into account the time and functional state of vital systems.

The criteria for assessing the rate of wilting are:

• Subjective signs accelerated wear of organs and tissues are considered nonspecific and may be an indicator of the presence of certain diseases in a person. If the results of laboratory and clinical examinations do not indicate the presence of a disease, such symptoms serve as indicators of early aging: weakness, rapid fatigue, low working capacity, lack of vigor even after a good rest, problems with concentration, memory, restless sleep, poor or unstable emotional state.
• Objective signs - deterioration of the condition of the skin, its elasticity, elasticity, the formation of wrinkles not typical of the age category of a person, early appearance of gray hair, age spots, problems with teeth, growth of warts, decreased visual acuity, hearing, significant changes in posture associated with curvature of the spine.
• The biological age of the organism,which is determined on the basis of blood pressure, ECG, the magnitude and stability of the heart rate, the maximum breath holding time, the results of visual acuity, hearing, attention and memory.

Risk Factors for Premature Aging

From the outside:

• social, associated with a low standard of living (poor medical care, weak social protection of the population, low income, frequent or chronic stressful situations);
• environmental (pollution of water, air, soil, and hence food);
• lack of a healthy lifestyle (unhealthy diet, smoking, addiction to alcohol, lack of physical activity, insufficient sleep, rest);
• infectious diseases.

From the side of the internal environment:

• poisoning, intoxication;
• violation of the natural regulation of the body;
• metabolic problems;
• decreased immunity;
• bad heredity.

Human aging stages

The aging process of each person is individual, and biological age depends on many external and internal factors, which include heredity, working conditions, the level of environmental pollution, lifestyle, workload.

Physiological aging occurs in stages depending on the number of calendar years lived.

30-40 years old

The period is characterized by the appearance of the first signs of aging, the skin condition worsens, which is especially noticeable on the face, in the neck area, wrinkles are formed. Most people by this age have some amount of excess weight, often fat deposits are especially noticeable in the abdomen. Women gradually lose the ability to fertilize, the risk of developing pathologies during pregnancy and childbirth increases. In a man's body, testosterone levels decline, hair loss, baldness are possible.

40-60 years old

Reaching the age of forty does not at all promise a rapidly approaching old age, but the work of many vital systems can malfunction, immunity decreases, metabolism slows down, therefore, body weight increases, body fat accumulates, the condition of the skin continues to deteriorate, new wrinkles appear. This age interval for men and women is characterized by a decrease in the level of sex hormones. After 50 years, the female body loses the ability to fertilize, menstruation stops, menopause occurs. Changes in hormonal levels usually provoke the occurrence of various unpleasant symptoms, a feeling of heat, hot flashes, and frequent mood swings. The female body begins to lose calcium and minerals. The age interval of 40-60 years for men is often associated with the appearance of problems with the prostate gland.

60-80 years old

The period of visible aging of a person, serious changes in the skin, loss of elasticity, elasticity, the presence of deep and pronounced wrinkles, changes in the contours of the face and body. The human body loses water, the level of collagen decreases, muscle dystrophy occurs, which is also associated with a lack of physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle.

Closer to the age of 70, due to the loss of calcium, bone density decreases, and in women this process proceeds with greater intensity than in men. The density of bone tissue and the entire musculoskeletal system of a 70-year-old woman is half as much as compared with this indicator obtained at 30 years old.

Serious changes affect the cardiovascular system. Jumps in blood pressure, frequent diagnostics of hypertension, heart problems are associated with the loss of elasticity in the walls of the arteries. Hearing deteriorates noticeably, visual acuity decreases, the stability of all organs and systems weakens, and memory problems appear. Many people do not stop leading an active lifestyle, but their capabilities are often limited by their health, the need to constantly monitor their own condition. Retirement and a sudden change in the usual routine is bad for the body - due to a powerful psychological factor and a significant decrease in activity during the day.

After 80 years

The restorative functions of the body continue to decline, usually a person needs careful monitoring of blood pressure indicators, heart rate, maintenance and correction of these indicators. Age-related changes associated with a deterioration in vascular tone, a decrease in the elasticity of their walls lead to a weakening of blood flow. Insufficient blood supply to tissues, which can lead to their death, violation of the biochemical processes of the brain, too slow mechanisms of the body's regeneration provoke the development of sclerosis. The disease, in addition to senile forgetfulness, implies damage to the vessels of the brain - atherosclerosis, in which the elasticity of the arteries deteriorates, and fat and cholesterol deposits form on their inner surface. The narrowing of the lumen of the vessels causes impaired blood circulation in all organs, tissue death in case of blockage, the development of a heart attack or stroke when a plaque is detached.

The appearance of lethargy, sleep disturbances, constant headaches, loss of balance, forgetfulness should be the reason for contacting a specialist who will recommend the necessary examination. The patient must be selected medications to prevent further sclerosis, improve blood flow and supply the brain with sufficient oxygen by relaxing the vascular smooth muscles. It is necessary to take medications to increase concentration, memory, attention, mental performance. At this age, activity is very important, daily walks in the fresh air, despite possible physical limitations, you need to try to move more, walk.

The rate at which age-related changes appear depends on many factors. Timely identification of the source of negative impact on the body allows you to prevent premature aging and slow down the inevitable physiological process

Features of aging in men and women

Natural aging processes equally affect female and male organisms, but have their own characteristics associated with various regulatory hormones, and the opinion that the stronger sex only “gets younger” with age is fundamentally wrong. The study of human aging processes suggests that up to 45-50 years of age, age-related changes in men and women proceed at approximately the same rate. Having crossed the fifty-year mark, the withering of the male body occurs three times faster. The physiology of women is arranged in such a way that at the age of 60-70 they have better health, look younger and feel better.

Women

According to statistics, the average life expectancy of women is 6-8 years longer than that of men. At the same time, there is an opinion that the female body is aging earlier with all the ensuing consequences. Nature took care of women, endowed them with a more stable and hardy organism during the period of reproductive age. They are faced with the serious task of procreation, bearing children, giving birth and taking care of them. The peculiarities of the aging processes of the female and male body are explained by the activity of various hormones that affect the condition of the skin, hair, well-being, and the work of all systems.

By the age of 50, the female body is steadily changing, gradually depletion of follicles in the ovaries occurs, the production of estradiol and other female hormones decreases. Over time, sclerotic changes affect the ovaries themselves. The restructuring of the endocrine system leads to degenerative changes in the mammary glands, uterus, and bladder. Along with a drop in estrogen levels, the amount of adipose tissue increases. The onset of menopause is accompanied by periodic hot flashes called hot flashes. At this age, women notice a decrease in libido, a lot of anxiety is caused by a rapid heartbeat, pressure surges, sudden mood swings, and headaches. Low estrogen provokes excessive sweating, systematic bloating. With age, the amount of lubricant secreted by the vagina decreases, its walls become thinner, and osteoarthritis develops.

Men

The main male hormone is testosterone. It is necessary for the formation of secondary sexual characteristics, is responsible for the hair on the face and body, gives a lower voice, a tough character. The main female hormones are estrogens, which are produced for a streamlined metabolism, proper growth and development of the uterus, regulation of bone density, maintaining a balance between muscle and adipose tissue, which makes the figure feminine.

The high level of testosterone in the male body actually delays the formation of wrinkles, keeping the skin toned. It is believed that thanks to this hormone, the skin density is 30% more, it retains moisture longer, and remains elastic longer. Over time, age-related changes appear more pronounced, and wrinkles have deep folds, sagging of the tissues of the face and neck area appears. After forty years, a reddish tint of the skin is especially noticeable, symptoms of rosacea are often present. Closer to fifty years, the level of the main male hormone decreases markedly, this is reflected in the activity of the sebaceous, sweat glands, the skin loses moisture, becomes thinner, a vascular network appears. It is believed that the tendency to ptosis, tissue sagging, is more pronounced in the male half. With age, muscle volume decreases, excess weight is gained, libido decreases, and erectile dysfunction manifests itself.

In addition to menopause inherent in the female body, there is also andronopause, which is observed in men on average 10 years later. Dilation of the walls of blood vessels with subsequent hot flashes, increased heart rate, headaches, changes in blood pressure and frequent mood swings are typical symptoms of menopausal changes in men. Low testosterone levels affect the functioning of the prostate gland. It grows and thickens, there are frequent complaints of problems with urination, deterioration of sexual function, which can cause psychoneurotic changes.

If we talk about the aging of the brain, it is men who are more prone to disturbances in attention, memory, orientation in space. The reasons lie in the presence of serious chronic diseases, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disorders, excess weight, suffered in the past stroke. Women have every chance to get such disorders during prolonged stressful situations, dependence on outside help, lack of attention, lack of communication from relatives and friends.

Human aging is a natural biological process at the genetic level. It is not yet possible to completely overcome old age. However, everyone is able to improve the quality of life in the future, prevent premature wear of the body, slow down the development of age-related changes in organs and systems. The secret of prolonging youth, healthy fresh appearance, well-being, as always, is quite simple - it is a moderate and balanced diet, exclusion of bad habits in the life process, regular physical activity, sports, physical activity, a favorable and calm atmosphere at home and at work.

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When do we start to age and can we somehow stop it? Scientists have found that the aging process begins after about 25 years. Curiously, aging is only 20% determined by genes, and everything else is our habits and lifestyle. As for the elixir of youth, its creation seems to have to wait.

website got acquainted with the research of scientists and found out for what reasons we age, why lobsters are a little more fortunate than humans, and what will help to prolong life without much effort.

What is the cause of aging?

Let's start with the most interesting thing: there is currently no unified theory that could simply explain the causes of aging. The aging process is due to many factors, and scientists have so far come to the following more or less general conclusion: over time, the body "accumulates" damage, and it becomes more and more difficult for it to deal with them.

One of the most relevant and interesting theories of aging is related to the so-called telomeres. We all know that cells in a living organism are constantly dividing, but the older the organism, the more mutations can accumulate in the cells. So, the end sections of DNA called telomeres are shortened with each new division. And they are also designed to protect the body from wear and tear. At some point, telomeres become too short and the cell stops dividing.

But there is the enzyme telomerase, which can protect the ends of DNA from wear... For this discovery in 2009, a group of scientists was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. And this is where the fun begins.

And what does the lobster have to do with it?

The human body does not have the ability to preserve telomeres for many years. But lobsters have it: they constantly produce this enzyme, DNA self-repairs, which ensures the biological immortality of the bodyIn fact, the lobster does not live forever, but under ideal conditions it could possibly be able to - if it is not eaten, not injured and if it does not get sick with something dangerous.

Some other animals do not age either: mammal naked mole rat does not get cancer and does not actually age, river pearl mussel able to live for more than 200 years and dies because its leg is simply destroyed due to the weight of the shell, and troutLike lobster, telomerase works in all tissues of the body.

Only now it is not so easy to transfer this scheme to a person.: Attempts to lengthen telomeres in the laboratory end in uncontrolled cell division, which in the human body can lead to oncology. Scientists at Stanford have developed new technology to lengthen telomeres in a safe way, but how effective and viable it is, no one knows yet.

So the secret of lobsters and other "immortal" animals about how to contain the malignant degeneration of constantly dividing cells, and therefore, to discover the "elixir of eternal youth", we have yet to learn. But there are chances.

Is it possible to somehow slow down aging?

And yet, the rate of aging largely depends on external factors: our way of life, nutrition, environment. But one of the biggest factors is stress.The more nervous you are, the shorter your telomeres. Here's how the process is explained by Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn.

“Let's imagine that the boss calls you to his office. You start to worry because you think, "I'm about to be fired." The blood vessels narrow, the level of the stress hormone cortisol spikes, and telomerase levels decrease as a result. And that's not good for telomeres.

But if you learn to see stressful situations as more of a challenge than a danger, then the blood will fill your heart and brain, and the body will receive only a small energetic release of cortisol. And with that predictable response, your telomeres will do a great job of dealing with stress without getting hurt. ”

Elizabeth Blackburn

In addition, scientists have found that long and strong marriage and long-term friendships also contribute to the smooth functioning of telomeres. It turns out that the more positive we are about life, the higher our chances of living longer! We are able to influence the work of our cells, and therefore our life. Isn't that great?

Yes, mankind is still far from creating the elixir of eternal youth. But now everyone can try to learn how to cope with stress, as well as advice from neuroscientists to help slow down aging. Most importantly, remember: each age is beautiful in its own way, and happiness does not depend on the number of wrinkles.