Gerontologist Alexei Moskalev told about the factors that affect the life expectancy of people.
“She was not young, she was just 20 years old …”. Remember Pushkin? And what about the old Kirsanovs from the novel "Fathers and Sons", who, it turns out, are in their early 40s? Such are now - men of marriageable age, they are just beginning to live. World-renowned gerontologist Aleksey Moskalev told KP (he flew to lecture in Krasnoyarsk) why in the near future even 120 years of life is just the beginning. And we will be considered young up to 60.
Let's see secrets from nature
There are long-lived animals, the bowhead whale, for example, can print a third hundred. Among people, the world record - 122.5 years - was set by the Frenchwoman Jeanne Kalman. So it is possible?
It looks like yes. Moreover, over the past 100 years, human life expectancy has almost doubled - thanks to medicine. True, mainly due to a decrease in infant mortality, says Alexei Moskalev:
- At the beginning of the twentieth century, the main causes of death were typhus, diphtheria, tuberculosis, that is, acute infectious diseases. Now the situation is different: people die because of chronic diseases depending on age: cardiovascular, tumors … However, we also began to age slower, by 15 percent.
But this is not the limit, the scientist is sure. It is necessary to peep and borrow the secrets of longevity from nature, and then transfer it to humans. And this is already working: the lifespan of laboratory mice, on which experiments are carried out, have already been extended from one and a half to four years. Shall we continue?
Promotional video:
120 we do not promise
What can be done right now (and is practiced by many)? Only briefly. Those who eat right have chances to live longer (less meat and milk, more vegetables and herbs); observes the daily routine; sleeps for 7-8 hours (the phase of deep sleep is important, when the body is recovering); Exercises regularly (exercise reduces the risk of cancer) owns stress management (knows how to relieve stress after negative situations).
However, all these rules of a healthy lifestyle do not promise you the same 120 years. If you stick to them, you can ensure yourself a full, but average life expectancy. 80-85 years at most.
- To shed it radically - up to 120 years, you need to engage in fundamental research, to understand the causes of aging. This is a matter of the future, says Dr. Moskalev. - Why up to 120? This is the natural limit of human life.
Fight old age - from childhood
Usually old age begins after 65 years, and with it chronic ailments: stroke, heart attack, Alzheimer's, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus. But we begin to grow old right from the moment of birth.
- And what happens? The patient is missing out on time. He comes to the doctors when it’s too late,”says the gerontologist. - Complains about health problems, and in response hears: “Yes, you have diabetes, cataracts. Well, what did you want? Age! It won't get better."
You need to fight aging from childhood, no matter how strange it may sound. Without waiting for old age to come. To help - all the same five rules of healthy lifestyle (nutrition, regimen, etc.), others have not yet been invented. The main thing is to gain time, and then new developments of scientists will arrive in time.
Everything is like people. Except age
What about those who have already won over the years? There are such examples not only abroad or in the Caucasus, but also here in Siberia. This is the oldest blockade woman in Russia, Valentina Kuznetsova, from Krasnoyarsk. She went through hell as a child. But she managed to step over 100 years. Ka-ah?
Meanwhile, the families of long-livers assure that the “patriarchs” have no special secrets. They eat and drink whatever they like, they don't torture themselves with sports. Everything is like people. Except for age.
- Anything over 90 years old is genetics! Hereditary longevity, - explains Alexey Moskalev. - Yes, centenarians do not differ from others in their eating habits. But thanks to genetics, they have a reserve, it makes it possible to live long. Because centenarians get sick with chronic diseases 20 years later than others. But no one knows how long such people would live if they adhered to the rules of a healthy lifestyle. Maybe we would have examples of overcoming the natural limit of life, 120 years? Also, these people with a high degree of probability can betray their longevity to the next generation. Moreover, their children are 50% less likely to suffer from chronic age-related diseases than others.
Healthy lifestyle does not negate risks
The opposite cases are also known. When a person was an adherent of healthy lifestyle for years, he strictly limited himself in everything and … did not reach 60-65, died of an incurable disease.
- It is not a fact that the scheme and diet chosen by the person suited him, - the researcher comments. - If he died from a tumor disease, it is again genetics. DNA breakdowns inherited from our ancestors can increase risks. You know, like a gun hanging on the wall? Someday, let it shoot. Oncologists say: everyone has their own tumors, but not everyone lives to see them. If we live for 120-200 years, due to the random accumulation of errors in DNA, the risk will increase and increase. Even in spite of all sorts of tricks, including a healthy lifestyle. That is, a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk, but it does not completely cancel it. In such cases, medicine should come to the rescue.
When stress is … good for you
Eating, sleeping, regimen is not a panacea, but chances are. But what about the constant pressure, the one that kills us? You need to understand: longevity directly depends on resistance to stress. And it comes in two varieties: eustress and distress.
Eustress is a short-term shake-up. For example, fasting: a day a week or three a month. Alternatively, skip one meal two to three times a week. It will not bring harm, but it activates defense mechanisms.
Distress is when a person is depressed for a long time. Such pressure suppresses the immune system, causes chronic inflammatory processes, including in the brain. Metabolism changes, the risk of tumor development increases, and then metastases can form.
There is a way out: no, not alcohol or cigarettes. Smoking increases the risk of getting sick by 30%. Alcohol is also not useful. In extreme cases, you can afford a maximum of three glasses of wine a week. But it is better to refuse altogether.
Your favorite music, movie, book, workout in the gym or pool, breathing exercises, finally, can relieve stress. Everything that switches us.
No noise and dust
Another critical point is ecology. Moreover, not the best. Can you live to be 120 years old with windows overlooking, say, a factory or a highway?
- Ecology is not a sentence, but a risk factor. ONE - along with genes, lifestyle and so on. Indeed, the overall ecological situation in our country has deteriorated. But, again, life expectancy has become much higher. So recently, the WHO extended the period of youth to 44 years, maturity to 65 years, to 75 - this is old age, and after - senile.
Moreover, it should be interpreted broadly: ecology is both the quality of air, water, food, and the environment: the material from which the furniture, wallpaper, and so on …
And organic pollutants that settle on the kitchen table, food. By the way, it has been proven that dust particles of a certain size increase the risk of heart attacks, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. But - understand - this is only one of the variables in the big equation, one of the factors.
SAID
Death is what happens to others …
It is not worth counting kilocalories every second, thinking what we are eating. This is also constant stress. But there is no need to become neurotic once again, a golden mean is needed.
Everyone says: we want to eat as we are used to, we are so tasty. And I always give this example: there is a road, there are many cars. Nobody says: as I want, I will go over without looking around. Everyone walks in the right place, follows the rules in order to survive.
And now everyone thinks: I have a certain reserve, in fact, I am eternal. Nobody believes they will die. This can be shown on TV, it can happen in the next entrance, but not with us … And what we do today, supposedly, will not in any way affect what awaits us tomorrow. And the future is being laid here and now.
HOW WILL IT WORK?
An old age pill is a utopia. Aging is a complex process: dozens of mechanisms are involved. Accordingly, the solution will be complex. Somewhere it is easier to replace the "part". Grow artificial stem cells out of your "material", create an organ from them, and transplant them to replace them.
On the other hand, it is possible to act with geroprotectors (substances that increase the lifespan - ed.), At the level of each cell to try to slow down the aging process. At the same time, everything that got out of control ahead of time should be replaced.
Gene therapy can be used to correct the inherited inclinations that we have inherited, and increase the risks of tumor, cardiovascular diseases. You can edit them in our genome. Now they do it for congenital diseases. Why not do this against age-related diseases?
Everyone is waiting for this. No one can escape old age. It is necessary to raise personnel, direct resources to this area. Maybe not inventing another bomb, but prioritizing correctly?
REFERENCE
Alexey MOSKALEV (born November 5, 1976) - Doctor of Biological Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of Genetics of Life Expectancy and Aging at the Moscow Phystech, Head of the Laboratory of the Institute of Biology of Komi, Head of the Department of Ecology at Syktyvkar State University. Author of over 80 scientific articles and books in the field of aging genetics and longevity.
ASYA ZHUKOVA