Theories of Aging
I will cover the main points of aging theory that scientists have identified. They fall into several categories, but in many ways they are interrelated. My goal is to find what causes aging, or rather the root cause of aging, to fold all the main theories into one grand theory. That is my goal!
Ok, lets cut to the chase and list the biological theories of aging below!
- Decline in mitochondrial energy production – in each of our cells reside the mitochondria which is responsible for producing energy to power our bodies and all the biochemical reactions necessary for life. When mitochondrial energy production declines with age, our “life energy” slowly winds down much like a battery being drained of its electricity. Carnitine compounds have been found to partially reverse this decline by improving the integrity of the cell membrane and the electron transport chain.
- DNA Damage - occurs when information in the genetic master “blueprint” for your body that is contained in the nucleus of all your cells is damaged. When the information in your DNA is damaged, then cells divide and replicate with incorrect information, which can lead to cancer. As you age the changes of DNA damage occurring becomes greater due to the decline in your immune system. There are a class of B-vitamins known as methyl donors which can help prevent DNA damage by aiding the methylation process by which you repair your DNA. Methyl donors can switch off the damaging effects of the MTHFR “poor methylation gene,” that is carried by approximately 66% of the North American population!
- Free Radical Theory - free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons and as they interact with our tissues they “steal” electrons from other molecules and cause what is called “oxidation.” Oxidation puts stress on all of our body systems and causes among other things DNA damage that can lead to cancer and other chronic diseases, and cross linking that causes our tissues to become stiff and hardened with age like aging skin. Antioxidants are nutrients that counteract oxidative stress and protect our bodies from free radicals.
- Glycation - is a chemical process where sugars bind to proteins or fats and cause what are called Advanced Glycation End Products, or AGE’s for short. AGE’s damage critical body tissues and structures such as the lining of your arteries and the blood vessels in your brain. This glycation process is what makes diabetes so dangerous and is why excessive consumption of sugar and browning or caramelizing foods when cooking is so unhealthy. There are a class of drugs and nutrients that are called AGE breakers, because they can break down AGE’s and prevent or reverse some of the damaging effects of Glycation
- The Hayflick Limit - named after Leonard Hayflick who discovered it in 1961, the Hayflick Limit is simple the number of times a cell can divide during its lifetime. Hayflick proposed that cells have a certain limited number of programmed cell divisions beyond which it cannot continue to divide and thus is dies. Unlike healthy cells, cancer cells do not have this programmed limit and grow out of control.
There is no known way to overcome the Hayflick Limit with either drugs or nutrients. - Immune System Decline - occurs when your immune system is no longer able to do it’s job of keeping your system free of dangerous pathogens. Since your immune system is your first line of defense against cancer the decline in your immunity raises your risk for cancer as well. Even heart disease has a connection with declines in performance of your immune system. There ARE many nutrients/nutraceuticals that are beneficial to the immune system and help keep it working strongly and protecting you from cancer and disease.
- The Neuroendocrine Theory - this aging theory proposes that as you age, the levels of your critical hormones such as thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, HGH, ect. decline causing deterioration in all your body systems, including your nervous system which basically runs your body. The good news is that of biological theories of aging, this is one you can address with bioidentical hormone therapy which greatly increases your energy, vitality, and quality of life.
Biological theories of aging only partially explain the aging process. Science does not yet know what the primary cause of aging is, but it may take an acceptance of the spiritual nature of human beings to find the ultimate answer.
What Causes Aging?
As you can see from the biological theories of aging, it’s many things, some treatable and some not. But I always look for the patterns that connect things and try and see what all of these things have in common. I have a theory of my own, and I am going to share it with you now!
