Do you want to live forever? Aging is inevitable but science has proven to be able to prolong our life spans. Read this article to understand how people age.
Introduction
Longevity is a term used to describe living longer or increasing the life expectancy of an individual or a population. Longevity is the science behind lifespan and healthspan. It is the understanding of the mechanism that makes humans age. Longevity is not about targeting individual diseases; it is targeting processes that make humans vulnerable to illnesses.
Ageing is a natural process that all living organisms undergo, but the quest for extending the human lifespan and promoting healthier ageing has been a subject of fascination and intense research for decades. Advances in science have unravelled many mysteries surrounding ageing, shedding light on the complexities of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that influence the longevity process.
Can you believe that in the last century, the average lifespan has almost doubled from 46 to 75 years? The average lifespan is expected to exceed 85 years in the next 30 years. Although there are many factors, such as economic progress, the increase in nutrition, hygiene and medical and scientific progress, the science of ageing is one thing that is becoming more prominent now. While advancements in medicine have contributed to increased life expectancy, other factors, such as genetics and lifestyle, also play a significant role.
Now, you may wonder, increasing life span could sometimes be harder for individuals. Dealing with diseases, health conditions, and the quality of life in general is an issue many people think of. Can we live longer and happier?
And the answer to that is Yes!
Longevity is about living longer and happier!
The Science of Aging
We age because of telomeres. Telomeres are the specific DNA-protein structures found at the ends of each chromosome. They act as the caps on our DNA stands, protecting the genome. These telomeres get shorter and shrink each time our cell grows and divides, which wears down protection. The shortening process explains the reason we age and eventually die.
During a normal cellular process, with cell division, a small portion of telomeric DNA is lost. When telomere length reaches a critical limit, the cell undergoes senescence and/or apoptosis. Therefore, telomere length may serve as a biological clock to determine the lifespan of a cell and an organism.
Progressive shortening of telomeres leads to senescence, apoptosis, or oncogenic transformation of somatic cells, affecting the health and lifespan of an individual. Shortening telomeres increases the incidence of diseases and poor survival. The rate of telomere shortening can be either increased or decreased by specific lifestyle factors. Better choice of diet and activities has great potential to reduce the rate of telomere shortening or at least prevent excessive telomere attrition.
Increasing Healthspan
As discussed, healthspan is what we want to optimize.There are 3 discoveries that have been made to increase longevity:
Senescent cells
NAD+
Stem cells
Senescent Cells
Once the telomeres are past the critical point, the cell becomes senescent. The cells do not die completely. Senescent cells are healthy cells that have either been damaged or had their DNA mutated. They stop replication (dividing) as their telomeres wear out. They also do not die off as they do not have the protein which commands them to die. So as you age, you have more senescent cells. The problem with this is that they are harmful to the human body. The senescent cells act as zombies that harm the tissues and cause disease.
The question that arises now is whether we can kill them.
To test this, Scientists genetically engineered mice so that they could destroy their senescent cells. They found that the mice lived up to 30% longer and had better health conditions.
Since we can not genetically engineer all the cells in the human body to kill the senescent cells while causing no harm to healthy cells, we need to tell proteins to kill only the senescent cells.
Unlike senescent cells, most cells in the body commit programmed cell suicide when they are damaged. In a late 2016 study, mice got the protein injected to kill the senescent cells. They were able to kill 80% of all their senescent cells while causing almost no harm to healthy cells. The treated mice became healthier and even regrew lost hair. As a result, several new companies are looking at treatments involving senescent cells and testing them on humans.
NAD+
Cells are made of hundreds of millions of parts. All these parts constantly need to be destroyed, cleaned up, and rebuilt. As we age, this process becomes less effective, causing cells to become crumpled, bunched up, and removed more slowly. They no longer produce in the quantities we need. One of these parts is NAD+, a coenzyme that tells our bodies to look after themselves. It has anti-ageing properties that keep cells young. At age 50, we only have about half as much in our bodies as at age 20. Low amounts of it are linked to many diseases.
During their research, Scientists noticed that flexible substances could enter cells and turn into NAD+ inside the cell. In 2016, multiple trials on mice showed that they boosted the multiplication of skin, brain, and muscle stem cells. They got rejuvenated, had a higher ability to repair their DNA, and had a slightly increased lifespan. NASA even got interested in this research and is looking for a way to minimize the DNA damage astronauts would be exposed to from cosmic radiation on Mars missions. Human trials will also take place soon. NAD+ is a serious candidate and could become the first human anti-ageing pill.
Stem cells
Stem cells are like cell blueprints that copy themselves and produce fresh cells. But as we age, they decline. Without new parts, human bodies break and become old. In mice, scientists observed that as the stem cells in their brains disappeared, they started to develop diseases. So they took stem cells from the brains of baby mice and injected them directly into the brains of middle-aged mice, specifically in the hypothalamus, a structure in our brain that acts as the body’s control coordinating centre.
The fresh stem cells reinvigorated older brain cells by secreting micro RNAs that regulated their metabolism. After four months, the brain and muscles worked better than the untreated mice, and on average, they lived 10% longer.
Another study took stem cells from mice embryos and injected them directly into the hearts of older mice. Consequently, they had improved heart function and could exercise 20% longer. Adding stem cells to the hypothalamus or other regions of the human body could slow the process of ageing.
Lifestyle influences
Certain lifestyle factors like sleep quality and quantity, what you eat, exercise, alcohol, and smoking can all impact how long you live.
Sleep plays an essential role in attention, cognition, mood, stress management, and cellular and muscular repair. Prioritizing quality sleep and adhering to a sleep schedule can help improve longevity.
Diet can have a major effect on your nutrition and ageing. A study investigating the relationship between animal and plant-based protein sources found that higher meat consumption and a higher ratio of animal to plant protein, were associated with increased mortality risk.
Drinks such as coffee and green tea are associated with longevity. Having three cups of coffee a day is linked to a 12–17% reduced risk of death based on research.
Physical activity can also help with longevity. Research found that middle-aged to older individuals who increased their physical activity experienced longevity benefits and were better protected than inactive individuals from all-cause mortality.
Intermittent fasting, including time restrictions and alternate-day fasting, may lead to greater longevity. Note that a healthcare professional should be consulted before implementing intermittent fasting regularly.
Alcohol and smoking can decrease life expectancy. Maintaining a low intake of alcohol or not drinking alcohol is suggested to help increase longevity. In fact, a study found that life expectancy for people who quit smoking at 35 extended their life expectancy by seven to almost nine years.
Conclusion
The science of ageing and longevity has made significant strides in unravelling the complex processes that govern the ageing process. While genetics plays a role in determining lifespan, lifestyle choices and environmental factors also significantly impact how we age. Promoting healthy ageing and longevity involves making informed decisions about diet, exercise, and lifestyle, and staying informed on the latest scientific research. By embracing a comprehensive approach to healthy ageing, we can strive to live longer, happier, and more fulfilling lives.
Bibliography
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In. “How to Cure Aging – during Your Lifetime?” YouTube, 3 Nov. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjdpR-TY6QU.
“Can You Increase Longevity? The Science behind Living Longer.” Blog.insidetracker.com, blog.insidetracker.com/increase-longevity-science-behind-living-longer. Accessed 28 May 2024.
Shammas, Masood A. “Telomeres, Lifestyle, Cancer, and Aging.” Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, vol. 14, no. 1, 14 Jan. 2011, pp. 28–34, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3370421/, https://doi.org/10.1097/mco.0b013e32834121b1.
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