Why We Age
Rejuve Health is on a relentless pursuit to identify why the aging process occurs and cultivate the most advanced treatments available to slow or halt this process.
Aging is a natural process that happens to all of us, but have you ever wondered what causes some of us to age faster than others?
Scientists have identified several hallmarks of aging, which are the underlying biological processes that cause our bodies to break down over time.
Understanding these hallmarks can help us better understand why we age, and how we might successfully slow or even reverse some of the effects of aging. Let's do a dive to explain the hallmarks of aging, and help you better understand what’s happening inside your body as you grow older.
1. Altered Cellular Communications
Cellular communication is the process that allows cells to exchange information with each other. This communication is essential for the coordination of cellular activities and is necessary for the proper functioning of the body. Altered cellular communication is involved in the aging process and can lead to the development of age-related diseases.
2. Telomere Shortening
Telomeres serve to protect the genetic material from degradation and damage during cell division. With each cell division, the telomeres become progressively shorter, and when they reach a critically short length, the cell may become senescent/old or undergo programmed cell death.Telomere attrition is involved in aging because as telomeres get shorter, the cells can no longer divide and you age both internally despite your chronological age.
3. Epigenetic Alterations
Epigenetic alterations are changes in the way that genes are expressed without altering the DNA sequence itself.. These changes can be caused by environmental factors, such as exposure to toxins, diet, exercise, and stress. Epigenetic alterations can also be inherited from one generation to the next, but the exact mechanisms still remain unknown.
4. Cellular Senescence
Cellular senescence is a process where cells stop dividing and take on a zombie-like state, in which they are neither living nor dead. This process is involved in aging and is thought to be a contributing factor to age-related diseases. Senescent cells produce harmful chemicals that can damage surrounding cells, leading to inflammation, tissue damage and additional senescent cells. The accumulation of senescent cells is thought to be a major contributor to the aging process.
5. Mitochondrial Dysfunction
The mitochondria are organelles in cells that are responsible for producing energy. They do this by converting food into a form of energy that the cell can use. When the mitochondria are not functioning properly, the cell can’t produce the energy it needs to function properly.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is believed to be a major contributor to the aging process. The mitochondria produce a substance called free radicals, which can damage the cells in the body and accelerate aging.
6. Stem Cell Exhaustion
As we age, our cells gradually lose their ability to divide and renew themselves. This process is called stem cell exhaustion and is one of the main causes of aging. Stem cells are the building blocks of our bodies. They can renew themselves and turn into any type of cell in the body. As we age, we have fewer stem cells, and those that remain are not as capable of making perfect copies as they once were. This leads to a gradual loss of cells in the body, which affects our organs and the overall aging process.
7. Disabled Autophagy
Autophagy is a process where our cells recycle old or damaged parts to make new ones. This is important for keeping our bodies healthy because it helps get rid of things that could cause problems. As we age, our cells don’t recycle as well as they used to, which means that the old or damaged parts build up and cause problems. This can lead to inflammation and diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
8. Inflammation
Inflammation is something that happens when our bodies try to fight off infections or heal from injuries. It’s a normal response that helps keep us healthy. But as we age, our immune system doesn’t work as well as it used to, and it can start causing problems instead of helping. This chronic low-level inflammation is called “inflammaging.” It can damage our tissues and organs, and it’s associated with a lot of age-related diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
These hallmarks of aging provide a framework for understanding the complex biological processes that contribute to our bodies breaking down over time. While these hallmarks are all interconnected, they each have unique impacts on our health and well-being.
By understanding these processes and how they affect us, we can begin to develop strategies for slowing down or even reversing some of the effects of aging.
There is proven success in targeting and addressing these hallmarks, to allow you to live your most fulfilled, productive, and energetic life, regardless of your age.