Growing old is a fact of life and there’s no mistaking it, given the increased fatigue, weakened bones, and ill health that generally accompanies aging. With the worldwide graying of the population, we are now aging for a longer period of time than ever before.
Gerontology, and its sub-field biogerontology in particular, is the science that studies the aging process to prevent age-related disease and degeneration, preserve health, and prolong human life.
Process of Aging
Age related changes and declines can be described with the "Hallmarks of Aging", which sum up everything that happens in our bodies biologically as we get old. They are categorized into nine "hallmarks."
The aging process is traced down to our genetic level and these are few factors that affect longevity.
1) Errors in our DNA and poor DNA repair capacity breaks down cells and can make them turn cancerous, therefore fastening the aging process
2) Proteins bound to DNA become less accurate and genes get silenced in error.
3)The telomeres become shorter due to chromosomal mutations and this leads to cell death.
4) At the cellular level, decrease in stem cells, proliferative abilities, impairments in mitochondrial function, and proneness to protein misfolding can all contribute to aging.
Few strategies like caloric restriction, usage of drugs and genetic manipulation 2 have been tried in model organisms in the lab and have proven to extend life span.
Rapamycin is one such drug derived from a bacterium native to Easter Island. This drug prolongs the life of mice by an average of 25%. The drug works on a set of genes called the mTOR complex, which are involved in regulation of cell metabolism. When mTOR is blocked, cells enter into a special survival mode that tends to extend lifespan.
J147,a drug derived from curcumin can promote generation of new brain cells and therefore reverse Alzheimer's progression and retard aging.
Fun Facts:
⦁ Why hair turns gray: Melanin, the pigment that gives our hair it's color, becomes exhausted. Genetics and stress play huge roles Average age for gray hair for men and women is 35 years old.
⦁ Loss of height: People lose 3-5 cm height by the time they reach 80 years 3 of age and this is a reflection of adjustments in the body joints, spinal disks and spinal bones.
⦁ Why skin wrinkles: As we grow older, the collagen which gives us a youthful appearance decreases by about 1℅ every year. The cumulative effect after a number of years is that the skin become thinner and more fragile, thus more susceptible to the ravages of gravity.
⦁ Appearance of senile warts: The oval or round projections that feel flat or slightly elevated when touched may appear on any area of the skin. These senile warts appear in old age because of their weakened immune system. Senile warts are benign and no treatment is required.
⦁ Worsening eye sight: The lens of our eye hardens with age and this leads to presbyopia. As lens become more hard, focusing on the retina directly is more difficult.
Saba Asra
Third Year CZM
For further reading
⦁ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/N BK10041/
⦁ https://www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-86 74(05)00101-7#:~:text=(1)%20Aging% 20results%20from% 20accumulation,tissue%20first% 20begin%20to%20form
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