No one living on Earth will be able to avoid the aging of the body. At the same time, people have always wanted to live long and maintain clarity of mind and the ability to move independently for as long as possible and not suffer from a whole “bouquet” of chronic diseases. Scientists have been studying the problem of old age since ancient times, but only in the XX century did they begin to more or less understand the processes that cause and accompany aging.
Aging is a pathological process. Many scientists believe that human survival mechanisms inherent in nature are designed for 100-120 years of life. However, such a duration is the exception rather than the rule. Old age begins at about 60 years, and only a few out of thousands survive to 100. Thus, we grow old before nature’s due date.
The great Russian physiologist Ilya Mechnikov suggested that the aging process is the result of poisoning of the body by bacterial waste products. Based on his assumptions, the Italian scientist Claudio Franceschi put forward his own “inflammatory theory” of aging. He believes that aging occurs due to the accumulation of biological debris (bacterial waste products, cell death), stress, disease, and metabolic disorders. All this has a cumulative effect and leads to a chronic inflammatory process and age-related diseases - cardiovascular, diabetes, dementia, Parkinson's disease, etc.
With age, the ability of cells to divide becomes less and less. Anatomy professor Leonard Hayflick discovered that human cells are able to divide approximately 50 times and then lose this ability. The “limit” of cell division is determined by telomeres - part of the chromosomes that are located at their tips and protect them from damage and gluing with other chromosomes. Gradually, telomeres shorten, and after a certain number of cell divisions they completely disappear, and the cell starts a mechanism of self-destruction. Scientists do not yet have a consensus on what exactly leads to shortening of telomeres; rather, there is a whole complex of factors - stress, previous diseases, ecology, weight problems.
Human life expectancy is increasing, while humanity is aging. Over the past decades, developed and developing countries have seen an increase in average life expectancy. The reason is the sharply increased level of medicine over the XX century, improved nutrition, and the preventive work of doctors. At the same time, the period of youth of the human body remained unchanged. Therefore, even with all the successes of modern medicine, it is not possible to significantly extend life - it has only been possible to prolong productive old age.
Many diseases that were previously considered age-related have become much “younger”. Oncology, heart attacks and strokes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease are increasingly being recorded in relatively young people. Many blame this on the deteriorating environment, poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. However, some scientists argue that in the old days, most people simply did not live to see the years when they could have developed these pathologies, even if they had appeared not in old age, but at an earlier age. The mortality rate from ordinary infectious diseases and even from ordinary appendicitis a hundred to two hundred years ago was an order of magnitude higher than in our time.
25 percent of aging is genetic. The rest is lifestyle, prevention, physical activity, absence of bad habits, environmental conditions and the level of medicine. No one will be able to avoid old age, but postponing it and making it as productive as possible is quite possible.
There are products that promote rejuvenation. Of course, they cannot work like rejuvenating apples from a fairy tale, but they act as a preventive measure. These products include dark chocolate, green tea, coffee, blueberries, black currants, apples, broccoli, red and black grapes, tomatoes, onions, bran, spinach, and seafood.
Natural geroprotectors, that is, substances that slow down aging, include terpenes. These compounds are released into the air by coniferous trees, which is why walking through a pine or spruce forest is so beneficial.
The function of self-rejuvenation is inherent in nature. It is based on autophagy, or the ability of body cells to “eat” various biological debris - damaged cellular particles, toxins, and so on. The process of autophagy helps the body fight infections, stress and rejuvenate. At the same time, the cells themselves decide when to turn on this process, but in some cells this ability is disabled initially, so not all organs are capable of self-rejuvenation.
You can stimulate autophagy processes with the help of small positive stresses - moderate physical activity, a slight calorie deficit (strict diets and fasting are contraindicated).
Active mental activity not only helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, but also promotes active aging. If in old age there is an opportunity or desire to learn something new, to learn something, you should not neglect them. The more actively the brain works, the less its cells are subject to degradation.
There are many myths and misconceptions around aging and ways to combat it. Gerontological scientists have found many reasons that cause the aging of the body, but the discovery of a “an anti-aging pill”, according to them, is still far away.
Resources: dem4r.com; www.km.ru; postnauka.org; trends.rbc.ru
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