9. MANY MEDICATIONS HAVE ALMOST THE SAME EFFECT AS A PLACEBO, BUT ALSO CREATE SIDE EFFECTS.
10. EXPECTATION TO FEEL BETTER AFFECTS THE SYMPTOMS OF A DISEASE.
11. WE CAN "TURN ON" THE NECESSARY GENES AND "TURN OFF" THE UNNECESSARY ONES.
12. 95 % OF DISEASES CAN BE AFFECTED BY THE PERSON.
13. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES HELP US FEEL HAPPY AND HEALTHY.
14. THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF SOCIAL TIES AFFECT LIFE SPAN.
15. CONCENTRATION OF ATTENTION IS AN IMPORTANT SKILL TO ACHIEVE ANY GOAL, INCLUDING PROLONGATION OF LIFE AND YOUTH.
16. HABITS AFFECT OUR LIVES AND OUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CONDITION.
17. MOST THINGS WE DO UNCONSCIOUSLY. THEREFORE, THE FORMATION OF USEFUL HABITS AFFECTS 90 % OF OUR ACTIONS AND LEADS TO A QUALITATIVE CHANGE IN ALL LIFE.
18. PASSION FOR ART HELPS PROLONG LIFE BY 30 %.
19. CONSCIENTIOUS PEOPLE LIVE LONGER SINCE THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEM WORKS BETTER (DUE TO LOW LEVELS OF B-CELL STIMULATORY FACTOR 2).
20. THE THOMAS THEOREM SAYS: "IF MEN DEFINE SITUATIONS AS REAL, THEY ARE REAL IN THEIR CONSEQUENCES."
CHAPTER 1
AGING AND YOUTH
THE DREAM OF A LONG LIFE IS MEANINGLESS WITHOUT RESOLVING THE AGING PROBLEM MEMORY IMPAIRMENT (OR COMPLETE MEMORY LOSS), WORSENING FRAILTY, NEED FOR CONTINUOUS CARE, A BUNCH OF AGE-RELATED DISEASES, HUGE NUMBER OF MEDICATIONS TO SUPPORT A FADING BODY, ETC.
Such prospects do not please anybody. At the same time, we can look at aging from essentially different points of view. You can resign yourself, and take age-related decline and diseases as an inevitability and part of human destiny. However, there is another point of view. Just look at people who live longer than others having a healthy, strong body, a clear mind, and a zest for life. We might wonder how they do it. To find the answer, it is very important to get onto aging, and scientific views about the nature of this phenomenon. And then to learn about studies revealing mechanisms of preserving youth and increasing longevity.
WHAT BODY CHANGES ARE CAUSED DUE TO AGING?
As a person grows older, their appearance, health, and the function of most organs change. The set of these metamorphoses, which manifest both externally and internally, is called aging. Here are some signs characteristic of aging.
Hearing impairment: children can hear high-frequency sounds (above 20 Hz) this ability is usually lost by the end of adolescence. After age 75, more than half of older adults hearing gets worse so much that it prevents normal communication.
Vision problems: after the age of 35, the tone of the ciliary muscle, responsible for accommodation[3] (change in the curvature of the lens) decreases. As a result, farsightedness (presbyopia) develops and progresses after the age of 40 a deterioration in the ability to see near objects. In addition, over the years, the risk of cataracts (clouding of the lens) increases.
Change in skin tone: due to lower production of hyaluronic acid, collagen, and elastin fibers over the years, the skin loses elasticity, which leads to wrinkles.
Over the years, the function of cells producing melanin, the substance that determines hair color, suffers, and graying comes with this process. In addition, as we age, our hair begins to fall out more actively, and the risk of alopecia (hair loss) increases.
As we age, we lose muscle mass and strength, and muscle's ability to regenerate deteriorates.
After the age of 25, fertility (ability to conceive) in women starts to decline. At the age of 44 to 55 years, (there can be deviations in either direction) menopause occurs, and loss of the ability to childbirth. Men's sexual function also deteriorates over the years, increases the risk of erectile dysfunction, and decreases the fecundating ability.
Cognitive function often deteriorates over the years: learning and memory deficit, the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, increases.
There is a higher risk for several diseases: osteoporosis (brittleness of the bones), osteoarthrosis, atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, immune deficiency, etc.
In addition to symptoms of aging, changes at the cellular and molecular levels develop with age, and it has an impact on our bodies. Scientists from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Oviedo (Spain) state that aging is based on the following biological processes[4].
Accumulation of mutations in cells (genomic instability), which increases the risk of developing diseases and malignant tumors.
Shortening of telomeres, end sections of chromosomes, that protect genetic material from damage. It also causes errors in the genome, protein production, and dysfunction of cell and organ function.
Accumulation of so-called senescent cells, incapable of division or apoptosis (planned cell death leading to tissue renewal). Such cells do not die, but partially or completely lose their functions, leading to organ malfunction.
Decreased sensitivity of cells to "positive" growth factors, and hormones, activating energy exchange in cells, which stimulate regeneration. At the same time, the sensitivity of cells to the action of damaging factors, such as radiation, toxic substances, antibiotics, etc., increases with age.
Depletion of stem cells, which are "samples" for functional cells of various organs.
Deterioration of intercellular communication, signaling between cells, which ensures a coordinated work of the body.
There is such a concept as biomarkers of aging a set of physiological and biochemical indicators, that allow us to judge the biological age of a person. A table listing the basic biomarkers of aging is given at the end of the chapter.
THEORIES OF AGING
Although since antiquity, humans have tried to understand what biological aging is and how to prevent it, scientists have not yet come to a common understanding of the nature of aging. Today there are many theories explaining the reasons for the physical and mental decline that occurs with age. All these theories can be divided into two large categories: damage theories and evolutionary theories theories of programmed aging[5].
AGING AS A PROCESS PROGRAMMED BY NATURE
Evolutionary theories of aging imply that aging is the result of the organism following a biological "schedule" regulating the main stages of human life: birth, growth and development, growth impairment, stagnation, biodegradation, and death. In the view of advocates of this approach, aging gives an advantage in the survival of a particular population and is evolutionary "beneficial" for species. In the first place, it is about resource allocation: individuals who have lost their reproduction capability shall age and die in order not to compete for resources with the younger generation.
There are some examples of the evolutionary theories of aging.
Theory of programmed longevity. Throughout life, certain genes are "turned on" and others are "turned off" by nature, i.e., regulation of aging processes is embedded at the DNA level.
Neuroendocrine theory. It suggests that aging is an impaired hormonal balance. This theory appeared in the XIX century, and in the early XX century experiments on transplanting various endocrine glands (ovaries and testicles, adrenal glands, basal glands) from young animals to elderly ones became popular. Today, some scientists associate aging with changes in insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling[6].