Why Does the Body Age?

Sooner or later (if we are lucky) each and every one of us will age. Science explains that there is no real evolutionary reason for aging, so what do we do? Get your science dictionaries out… it is about to get complicated…

The Aging Process
Researchers do not agree on the causes of aging. Some say that our genes are programmed to deteriorate, decay and die. Other researchers believe that the accumulation of damage is the real reason we age (I think these make more sense). To add more confusion to the issue, there is no formula of aging.

Cell Damage
In 1882, biologist August Weismann first proposed the fundamentals of the theory of cell damage. According to Weismann, the body succumbs due to wear and tear. As with the components of an old car, the parts of the body eventually fail because of their repeated and constant usage, destroying and killing the organism in the process.

A large group of current researchers working on this idea by exploring specific physiological aspects to try to reveal where and how exactly this happens wear damage.

Mitochondrial DNA Damage
This theory focuses on the damage to the DNA throughout life. The cellular DNA damage occurs continuously in the cells. Although most of this damage is repairable, a part of it is accumulated. Genetic mutations accumulate with age, causing the cells to deteriorate and malfunction. In particular, damage to mitochondrial DNA is the most predominant cause of aging. The effects of aging are the result of genetic damage suffered by body cells.

Mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA or mtDNA mutates faster than the DNA in the cell nucleus, so mtDNA creates more free radicals, which are believed to be the cause of aging. When the mitochondria (which are energy generators of cells) work harder the more fuel (nutrients) are at their disposal. In contrast, the less you eat the fewer free radicals are generated. As a result of this, some researchers believe that limiting calorie intake can delay aging.

Cross-links in Proteins
Another branch of research on the aging process focuses on the cross-links, a process by which damaged or obsolete proteins are destroyed by enzymes (proteases), are protected from this destruction by joining irregularly. These connections allow them to last, but cause problems with time. An accumulation of protein crosslinks damages cells and tissues, slowing body processes.

This phenomenon has been associated with at least one sign of aging, and has been implicated in others:

Crosslinks in the skin protein called collagen, for example, have been proven to be at least partially responsible for wrinkles and other changes in age-related skin. In the eye, it is believed that cross-linking collagen also play a role in cataract formation by age effect. The researchers speculate that cross-links proteins in the arteries or kidneys are responsible to some extent of atherosclerosis.

This process can be reduced by using skin products that stimulate collagen production on your skin. Some of these products include;

Suvoderm: to be used on the face

Revivatone Neck: to be used on the neck and chest region

Longevity Scheduled
Many researchers argue that the theory of “aging is the result of a sequential activation or deactivation of certain genes, and senescence (old age) is the time when various age-related deficits are manifested.

To support this theory, researchers have studied aging with the help of Caenorhabditis elegans (a small transparent worm which is very easy to modify the genetic level and a short life of just two weeks).

In 1993, a group of researchers found that C. Elegans equipped with a specific mutation lived twice than their counterparts without the mutation. This led to a rethinking of genetics in the sense that a single gene can regulate so drastically the life of an organism.

Endocrine Theory
According to this theory, individuals adapt to their environment at the cellular level to ensure the best survival of the species. When adverse conditions exist, the cells are adapted to raise the levels of resistance to stress, suppressing low-level inflammation, and improve mitochondrial biogenesis (increase the energy of cells). In other words, in harsh conditions, the life of the body extends at least enough to satisfy the biological imperative to reproduce time.

Regardless of what causes aging, we are as sure as death that we will age. And if we will age, I would rather age gracefully.

References:
https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/neck-cream-reviews/revivatone.html
http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/1706947/How_to_Treat_Acne_Wrinkles
http://community.healthywomen.org/profiles/blogs/neck-yoga-how-to-keep-your-neck-healthy