Wednesday, October 17, 2007

What is Aging?

Everything in the universe is made up of matter. All matter has a lifecycle. It's created, it develops, it reproduces, it decreases in its functional capacity, it dies. In biological terms relating to humans at the cellular level, aging relates to the cumulative changes in an organism, organ, tissue, or cell leading to a decrease in functional capacity. In humans,anti aging research img aging is associated with degenerative changes in the skin, bones, heart, blood vessels, lungs, nerves, and other organs and tissues.

Biologists have advanced a variety of theories to explain aging, but most of them agree that this process is largely determined by genes. At the cellular level, an important recent finding has been that the life spans of cells in the human body are determined by strings of DNA (genetic material) called telomeres, which are located at the ends of the chromosomes. Each time a cell divides, the telomere becomes shorter; the senescence and death of the cell is triggered when the telomere is reduced to a certain critical length.

There is also a growing number of researchers that believe that aging can be slowed and even reversed. Anti-Aging refers to the delaying or lessening the effects of aging. Anti-Aging is a new emerging medical field, one that is filled with as much fact as fiction. These longevity researchers believe that the body and its cells are damaged by overuse and abuse. Toxins in the diet and environment wear down the organs-liver, stomach, kidneys, skin, and so on. Excess consumption of fat, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine; by the ultraviolet rays of the sun; and by the many other physical and emotional stresses to which we subject our bodies all contribute to this wear and tear.

Those who understand this theory believe nutritional supplements and other treatments can help reverse the aging process by stimulating the body's own ability to repair and maintain its organs and cells.

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