"Unlike the things we do to ourselves that accelerate aging and which are easily correctable (relatively speaking), the micro-level factors that promote aging are programmed into our very cells. Until a few years ago, these factors seemed impossible to influence, but this is changing. Of all of the things that make us “old,” two things stand out because, until now, they have been so untouchable—the Hayflick Limit and the glycation of proteins.
The Hayflick Limit
The Hayflick Limit, named after the person who discovered it almost forty years ago, refers to the fact that all cells have only a limited capacity to continue to divide through the course of our lives. The numbers are different for each type of cell in the body, but by early adulthood, half of those divisions have been used up. By mid-life, perhaps only 20-40 percent of those divisions are left. At that point, old age starts taking over. In effect, the Hayflick Limit determines life span at the cellular level. With each division, a cell becomes less likely to divide again, until finally it stops dividing altogether and becomes senescent. Cell senescence is the final step before cell death. Senescent cells are still alive and metabolically active, but they’re no longer capable of dividing. More importantly, senescent cells exhibit all of the characteristics that so bother us about old age, such as the difference between the supple skin of a child and the wrinkled skin of the elderly.
The Hayflick Limit, named after the person who discovered it almost forty years ago, refers to the fact that all cells have only a limited capacity to continue to divide through the course of our lives. The numbers are different for each type of cell in the body, but by early adulthood, half of those divisions have been used up. By mid-life, perhaps only 20-40 percent of those divisions are left. At that point, old age starts taking over. In effect, the Hayflick Limit determines life span at the cellular level. With each division, a cell becomes less likely to divide again, until finally it stops dividing altogether and becomes senescent. Cell senescence is the final step before cell death. Senescent cells are still alive and metabolically active, but they’re no longer capable of dividing. More importantly, senescent cells exhibit all of the characteristics that so bother us about old age, such as the difference between the supple skin of a child and the wrinkled skin of the elderly.
As cells approach the Hayflick Limit, they divide less frequently and become aberrant. They take on wildly irregular forms, no longer line up in parallel arrays, assume a granular appearance, and deviate from their normal size and shape. This distorted appearance, called the senescent phenotype, is accompanied by a state of declining functionality that, until recently, was thought to be irreversible.
The Glycation of Proteins
Glycation is the uncontrolled reaction of sugars with proteins, similar to what happens when you heat sugars and they caramelize. In effect, glycation is what happens when excess sugars caramelize the proteins in your body. It’s a major factor in the aging process, and it’s particularly devastating to diabetics. Your body is mostly made up of proteins. In fact, proteins are the substances most responsible for the daily functioning of your body. That’s why anything that causes protein deterioration has such a dramatic impact on the body’s function and appearance. Thanks largely to the destructive effects of sugar and aldehydes, the protein in our bodies tends to undergo destructive changes as we age. This destruction is a prime factor not only in the aging process itself but also in the familiar signs of aging, such as wrinkling skin, cataracts, and the destruction of our nervous system, particularly the brain."
Glycation is the uncontrolled reaction of sugars with proteins, similar to what happens when you heat sugars and they caramelize. In effect, glycation is what happens when excess sugars caramelize the proteins in your body. It’s a major factor in the aging process, and it’s particularly devastating to diabetics. Your body is mostly made up of proteins. In fact, proteins are the substances most responsible for the daily functioning of your body. That’s why anything that causes protein deterioration has such a dramatic impact on the body’s function and appearance. Thanks largely to the destructive effects of sugar and aldehydes, the protein in our bodies tends to undergo destructive changes as we age. This destruction is a prime factor not only in the aging process itself but also in the familiar signs of aging, such as wrinkling skin, cataracts, and the destruction of our nervous system, particularly the brain."
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