Understanding what is happening to our bodies as we age is helpful to us by knowing the cause and effects of this process. At the cellular level, there are some major hallmarks of aging:
Genomic Instability
Ok, so what does that mean? Basically, I am saying that this is damage of our DNA. DNA in our bodies contains the instructions necessary for life. The code in our DNA gives directions on how to make proteins in our body that are necessary for growth, development and overall health. According to estimates, tens of thousands of DNA damage events occur every day in each of our cells. Our cells have special proteins that can find and repair many cases of DNA damage. If our DNA is not repaired, this helps to drive the process of aging. The unhealthier your lifestyle is, the more damage that can occur to your DNA. So, obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, or too much alcohol intake can all lead to damaging your DNA.
Shortening of Telomeres
Telomeres are part of our DNA that is attached to our chromosomes. Telomeres help protect DNA from damage, but as our DNA is repaired, telomeres begin to shorten. Other lifestyle factors such as psychological stress, smoking, overeating can also shorten them. Shortening of your telomeres is a major contributor to the aging process and development of diseases. Shorter telomeres are connected with cardiovascular disease or certain types of cancer. Below is what a telomere looks like:
Deregulated Nutrient Sensing
Cells in our body require a constant supply of nutrients (from our eating) to provide the energy they need to function. Cells also have to be able to store nutrients when they are abundant and release them when nutrients are scarce. Nutrient levels in our bloodstream need to stay within a safe range. The main nutrient sensing dysfunction that emerges during human aging is insulin resistance – leading to all major chronic disease, such as diabetes, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), kidney failure Alzheimer’s Disease, cancer, and fatty liver disease.
Next week, I will discuss more of the hallmarks of aging and after that, what can we do, if anything, to prevent these hallmarks?
Warm Regards,
Dr. Mike
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4086028/