We Can’t Stop The Clock, But Maybe We Can Slow It Down
February 20, 2018 at 1:47 p.m.
By Max [email protected]
William Osler (1849-1919), once hailed as the most illustrious physician in our history, remarked that men older than 60 should be retired and suggested that men past that age should be chloroformed or in other words, terminated. Because I am much older, I obviously and vehemently disagree with the doctor's philosophy, and it’s one of the reasons I collect books on the subject and continue to search for ways to slow down the aging process.
Today, aging is a timely and fashionable topic as America has become an increasingly "gray" nation: People over 85 comprise the fastest-growing segment of the population.
Aging, of course, brings on a host of infirmities. Despite all we do to care for ourselves, many of us lucky (?) enough to get older may spend our last days in a nursing home.
Before I disclose a few tips from the literature on anti-aging, it is important to review the process itself. Usual aging involves two sets of problems. First, many body organs, including the kidneys, heart and lungs, gradually lose strength with advancing age; immune function also declines. These changes place the elderly at risk of disease and dysfunction, especially when major stress occurs. The second set of problems with usual aging relates to the buildup of blood fats and sugar and subsequent hypertension. All of the major organ systems are affected. There is little doubt the incidence of heart disease increases exponentially with age. It is the leading cause of death in older age groups in industrialized nations. Atherosclerosis, a thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries, is responsible for most deaths.
Gerontologists (specialists in aging) believe that the incidence of cancer with age is the result of an immune system less capable of detecting and destroying cancer cells. Hormonal changes with age reduce the physiological reserve in tissues and organs. The secretion of many hormones including testosterone, insulin and thyroid, decrease with normal aging.
Moreover, there is general agreement the weight of the brain decreases from young adulthood to old age. The number of cells may not of itself be significant; however, if the loss occurs in cells whose vital functions cannot be assumed by other cells, the loss could be. Alzheimer's disease, a condition characterized by a mass of fibers found in brain cells, is a disease of older people. There is also loss of bone with aging, it begins at around 50 for both sexes, but then proceeds more rapidly in women.
There are many theories as to why we age. Some focus on the accumulation of errors in the genetic code; others invoke the loss of telomeres, which are the repeated sequences found at the end of chromosomes. Telomeres shorten with repeated cell divisions and cells that are normally replaced no longer do so. Another theory is that over time reactions between proteins and sugars in the body form compounds that can damage other proteins as well as DNA. Cross linking occurs, as do mutations, and there is reduced energy, which disrupts vital organs. Free radicals are the cause.
There are a number of manufacturers of nutritional products that promote antioxidants as a means to retard aging. These compounds, including vitamins E and C and butylated hydroxytoluene, are alleged to work by combating the effects of free radicals. None have been proven to be safe and effective. Another product, resveratrol, which is found naturally in the skin of red grapes, is another promising candidate.
There have been a half dozen or so other medications or supplements that appear to improve damage within our cells and thus help prolong life. This includes an anticancer drug and a popular diabetes drug, metformin, which seems to lower the incidence of cancer and provides beneficial effects for the heart. Rapamycin, a drug used to coat coronary stents, has shown beneficial effects on mice, which appear to stay healthier and more youthful when administered the drug.
Another method to retard aging stems from dietary restrictions. Experiments as far back as the 1930s have shown that feeding laboratory animals about a third fewer calories can dramatically increase longevity.
While the cure for aging may be a long way off or may never occur, we do know that aging is affected by lifestyle. Men and women ages 45 to 79 who are physically active, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, do not smoke, and consume alcohol moderately have an average one-fourth the risk of death during any given year than people with unhealthy habits. The drop in mortality risk among those with healthier habits was equivalent to being 14 years younger. It is like turning the clock back 14 years — a worthy goal for all of us, although Osler might disagree.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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William Osler (1849-1919), once hailed as the most illustrious physician in our history, remarked that men older than 60 should be retired and suggested that men past that age should be chloroformed or in other words, terminated. Because I am much older, I obviously and vehemently disagree with the doctor's philosophy, and it’s one of the reasons I collect books on the subject and continue to search for ways to slow down the aging process.
Today, aging is a timely and fashionable topic as America has become an increasingly "gray" nation: People over 85 comprise the fastest-growing segment of the population.
Aging, of course, brings on a host of infirmities. Despite all we do to care for ourselves, many of us lucky (?) enough to get older may spend our last days in a nursing home.
Before I disclose a few tips from the literature on anti-aging, it is important to review the process itself. Usual aging involves two sets of problems. First, many body organs, including the kidneys, heart and lungs, gradually lose strength with advancing age; immune function also declines. These changes place the elderly at risk of disease and dysfunction, especially when major stress occurs. The second set of problems with usual aging relates to the buildup of blood fats and sugar and subsequent hypertension. All of the major organ systems are affected. There is little doubt the incidence of heart disease increases exponentially with age. It is the leading cause of death in older age groups in industrialized nations. Atherosclerosis, a thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries, is responsible for most deaths.
Gerontologists (specialists in aging) believe that the incidence of cancer with age is the result of an immune system less capable of detecting and destroying cancer cells. Hormonal changes with age reduce the physiological reserve in tissues and organs. The secretion of many hormones including testosterone, insulin and thyroid, decrease with normal aging.
Moreover, there is general agreement the weight of the brain decreases from young adulthood to old age. The number of cells may not of itself be significant; however, if the loss occurs in cells whose vital functions cannot be assumed by other cells, the loss could be. Alzheimer's disease, a condition characterized by a mass of fibers found in brain cells, is a disease of older people. There is also loss of bone with aging, it begins at around 50 for both sexes, but then proceeds more rapidly in women.
There are many theories as to why we age. Some focus on the accumulation of errors in the genetic code; others invoke the loss of telomeres, which are the repeated sequences found at the end of chromosomes. Telomeres shorten with repeated cell divisions and cells that are normally replaced no longer do so. Another theory is that over time reactions between proteins and sugars in the body form compounds that can damage other proteins as well as DNA. Cross linking occurs, as do mutations, and there is reduced energy, which disrupts vital organs. Free radicals are the cause.
There are a number of manufacturers of nutritional products that promote antioxidants as a means to retard aging. These compounds, including vitamins E and C and butylated hydroxytoluene, are alleged to work by combating the effects of free radicals. None have been proven to be safe and effective. Another product, resveratrol, which is found naturally in the skin of red grapes, is another promising candidate.
There have been a half dozen or so other medications or supplements that appear to improve damage within our cells and thus help prolong life. This includes an anticancer drug and a popular diabetes drug, metformin, which seems to lower the incidence of cancer and provides beneficial effects for the heart. Rapamycin, a drug used to coat coronary stents, has shown beneficial effects on mice, which appear to stay healthier and more youthful when administered the drug.
Another method to retard aging stems from dietary restrictions. Experiments as far back as the 1930s have shown that feeding laboratory animals about a third fewer calories can dramatically increase longevity.
While the cure for aging may be a long way off or may never occur, we do know that aging is affected by lifestyle. Men and women ages 45 to 79 who are physically active, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, do not smoke, and consume alcohol moderately have an average one-fourth the risk of death during any given year than people with unhealthy habits. The drop in mortality risk among those with healthier habits was equivalent to being 14 years younger. It is like turning the clock back 14 years — a worthy goal for all of us, although Osler might disagree.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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