For millennia, humans have tried to extend our lifespans as much as possible. We tried it Freezing, fasting, and herbal remedies galore.
Billionaires like lately Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos have invested heavily in biotech companies such as Altos Labs, rejuvenationAnd Biotechnology Unitpursuing the pursuit of longevity through cellular rejuvenation and disease prevention.
So far is the longest thing that has ever kept anyone alive 122 years. But that might be on the lower end of our possible limit.
Humans can have a life expectancy of 150 years
Even if you lived in a bubble with no disease or danger, your body would still experience wear and tear as it pumps blood, digests food, and performs all of the functions necessary to survive.
The older you get, the longer it would take for your body to ‘recover’ from this wear and tear as aging is burned into our cells and DNA. All of this means that your tissues gradually lose their ability to heal themselves, which can lead to disease and dysfunction.
One learn suggested that the human body’s recovery time doubles every 15 years – a bruise that took a week to heal at age 40 could take two weeks at age 55. Eventually, the human body loses all of its resilience, leaving any bones or tissues broken. As soon as too many body parts fail, you die.
Researchers don’t necessarily agree on the upper limit of when this happens. Some have suggested 115 yearsOther 130 years. One of the most current studies Analysis of over half a million people in the US and UK suggested that people between the ages of 120 and 150 lose all resilience.
The big question is: what if we could slow down this wear and tear, or even better, prevent it altogether? Some experts argue that with medical advances, the average human life expectancy has increased no natural limit.
Let’s take a look at aging at the cellular level, what keeps us from living longer, and the research groups trying to understand and possibly reverse the aging process.
Cellular senescence is one of the most well-studied topics in aging
cellular senescence is when a cell stops reproducing but does not die.
When this happens, some senescent cells turn into destructive zombies that float around and release inflammatory chemicals that damage healthy cells, including stem cells – your body’s “repairers” who help replace damaged or broken tissue.
But not all senescent cells are bad.
Some senescent cells secrete chemicals that help repair wounds, said Paul Robbins, deputy director of the Institute of Biology of Aging and Metabolism and the Medical Discovery Team on the Biology of Aging In the University of Minnesota.
companies like life life sciences and Unity Biotechnology are currently developing drugs called senolytics to target and destroy only the “bad” senescent cells in your body. Some experimental drugs can even prevent cells from becoming senescent at all.
But so far no one has figured out how to completely prevent or eliminate harmful senescent cells.
From age 60the human body — particularly the immune system — has a harder time clearing harmful senescent cells, which can lead to a buildup that triggers tissue damage and failure, Robbins said.
A major cause of cellular senescence is Damage to your DNAwhich helped spark another field of research that led to a Nobel Prize in 2009: telomeres.
Telomeres help estimate your biological age
Some argue that biological age – how old your cells and tissues are – a better predictor Your lifespan as your chronological age or how many years you have been alive.
A common method for estimating biological age is to measure the telomeres in certain immune cells.
Telomeres are protective caps at the end of your DNA. They are made up of chains of molecules called base pairs. As you age, these base pairs disappear, shortening your telomeres. And shorter telomeres make DNA more vulnerable to damage and the effects of aging.
When you are born, the telomeres may be in between in certain immune cells called leukocytes 7,000 and 11,600 base pairs. Once this size shrinks to 5,000 base pairs, there is a high risk of imminent death, a Recent study found.
But other research found that some people who live past 100 actually have telomeres that are getting longer, not shorter, every year. This has prompted some scientists to explore ways to mimic this telomere recovery process in younger individuals.
For example, Aviv clinics conducted a study looking at how 35 older adults responded hyperbaric oxygen therapy, where you rest in a chamber with high air pressure and oxygen levels. You did it increase telomere length in participants’ leukocyte cells after 30 daily HBOT sessions.
But most telomeres stopped growing after the 30th session, and scientists don’t yet know how long the treatment effects might last.
DNA methylation is linked to several age-related diseases
Another contributor to DNA damage and cellular aging is DNA methylation – when molecules called methyl groups attach to certain sections of your genes to control their behavior.
Depending on their location, the methyl groups can block activation of genes or, if necessary, enhance gene activity.
In general, DNA methylation decreases with age, which can lead to the wrong genes being activated.
Research has linked methylation decline to several age-related conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular diseaseAnd Cancer – although it is worth mentioning not all methylation changes are bad.
Similar to telomeres, DNA methylation is another way that scientists can measure your biological age to predict your life expectancy. For example, you may have celebrated your 55th birthday, but after years of smoking, your cells may exhibit levels of methylation typically seen in 60-year-olds, potentially shortening your lifespan.
Traditionally, blood has been used for DNA methylation testing, but companies like it Elysium health and research projects like GrimAge also recently developed saliva tests.
People whose methylation age is at least 5 years older than their chronological age have a 16 percent Research has found a higher mortality risk, meaning they are more likely to die from any cause than their peers.
Mitochondria and free radicals are some of the biggest obstacles to longevity
Finally, some of the greatest limiters of human lifespan are the tiny, bean-shaped ones mitochondria in your cells. These microscopic structures generate most of a cell’s vital energy, but they also produce so-called by-products free radicals.
Free radicals are basically unstable atoms that jump around and injure parts of your cell, causing damage known as oxidative stress. Oxidative stress accumulates over time, which can lead to age-related diseases such as Parkinson’s, AlzheimerAnd Cancer.
Biotech companies like Altos Labs are working on a way to prevent these diseases rejuvenating cells and reverse the damage that oxidative stress can cause. The company hopes that by restoring cells to a healthier, younger state, longevity can be increased.
The pursuit of longevity has no single solution
For every mechanism that contributes to aging, there are groups of people working to understand and possibly reverse these processes.
But it is important to note that the aging puzzle does not have a single solution.
“All of these things that go wrong with aging are connected,” Robbins said.
For example, telomere shortening can lead to DNA damage, which in turn disrupts your mitochondria. The free radicals from your mitochondria, in turn, can damage more of your telomeres and DNA. All these processes influence each other.
No aging mechanism is more important than the others. For this reason, all anti-aging research, no matter the niche, is a connected part of humanity’s larger goal: to stay alive as long as possible.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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