Have you ever wondered why we age? Aging is an inevitable physiological process.
Although it is true that not all of us age at the same speed or in the same way, it is clear that aging is an inevitable physiological process that has many associated changes in our body.
Aging is defined as a set of changes that occur in the body, both morphological and functional, as a consequence of the passage of time. This process entails that the body, in general, gradually loses its capabilities. In the end, a failure in the function of one or more organs leads to the death of the person.
Fortunately, science is advancing and in recent years our knowledge of what happens in our body and in the millions of cells that compose it as the years go by has greatly improved. What is this knowledge for? To be able to take measures against aging, and especially, to achieve the golden goal: to live longer and better.
Why do we age?
Science has made it possible to advance more and more in deciphering what actually happens in the aging process. Different modifications have been discovered that take place at the molecular level and that would explain the changes that we observe on a large scale in people. Some of those changes are as follows.
Genome damage
The genome is the set of genetic material, made up of DNA, present in every cell in our body. It contains the information for the formation and function of each part of the human body. Over time, it suffers constant damage from physical, chemical and even substances specific to the individual.
DNA itself has machinery for detecting and repairing damage. However, over the years, the alterations are increasing and the machinery begins to fail, so that they accumulate. Cells and organs can stop working as they should and cancer, for example, is possible.
Why do we age? Telomere instability
Our DNA is organized into chromosomes, which are a condensed form of genetic material. They are important especially in cell division. Telomeres are the ends of them. They are responsible for giving stability to the structure and helping cell division to take place correctly.
What happens is that, with the successive divisions that the cell carries out, these telomeres become shorter. As a result, there is a loss of stability in the genome that, in the end, will result in more damage and cellular mutations.
Loss of protein balance
Our genetic material contains the information necessary for the formation and structural conformation of proteins. Proteins are very important molecules in our body. They carry out various functions, such as the transport of other substances, the support of some structures or the transmission of messages.
When DNA is damaged, the instructions for these molecules to form and fold correctly fail. This causes proteins to form that cannot perform their function.
If this occurs on a large scale and many pathologies accumulate, the processes of the human body are affected. The more genetic damage there is, the more proteins in poor condition and the more failure of functions. Thus, everything is linked to aging.
Why do we age? Other changes
In addition to those we have named, a number of other changes also occur in cells. Some of them are the following:
Stem cell depletion: They lose their ability to divide and generate young cells.
Cellular communication problems that may be due, for example, to the dysfunctional proteins that we have discussed.
Accumulation of toxic substances in the mitochondria by the respiratory processes.
Ultimately, we age because we accumulate damage, we spend ourselves over time and we begin to function worse. However, although it seemed that aging as we do is the law of life and nothing could be done about it, science and knowledge of what happens in our body and our cells over the years seem to indicate that it is really possible to live longer. and better. In this way, although greater longevity poses new medical, social and economic challenges, perhaps we are not so far removed from the fact that the elderly can say: At my age I am capable of that and much more!
It’s easy to reverse this. That is through clean diet and fitness.