Some grow old in a year like in three, for others time seems to flow more slowly. Most often it is a matter of heredity, but not only. According to several studies at once, you can prolong the youth of cells and the whole body on your own.
Not everyone ages the same
In 2015, an international team of scientists from Duke University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and King's College London analyzed data from approximately 1,000 residents of the small New Zealand city of Dunedin, born in 1972-1973. At that time, the participants in the experiment were from 26 to 38 years old, for twelve years they were closely monitored.
At the beginning of the study, gerontologists measured the length of telomeres in subjects - the end portions of chromosomes that shorten with each cell division and are considered one of the main causes of aging in the body. Then, over a decade, the biological age of the participants and the rate of aging of the body were regularly calculated using 18 biomarkers (blood pressure, metabolic rate, cholesterol level, liver, lungs, kidneys, etc.). In addition, all volunteers at 38 years old passed the psychological age test. It turned out that some of the subjects were aging almost three times faster than the others, becoming, as it were, three years older in twelve months. Others, on the contrary, “lived” a year for 16 and a half months. By the time the study participants turned 38, their biological age ranged from 28 to 61 years. According to the authors of the work, the aging rate of the subjects was only 20 percent dependent on genetics. Exercise, proper nutrition, regular medical examinations and quitting smoking were more important. In addition, those whose psychological age outstripped their actual age grew faster.
Movement is life
The findings of colleagues were partially confirmed by biologists from the University of California. Observing the lifestyle of 1,500 elderly women over 64 years old, they found that those who move a little, age faster. The biological age of the cells of those who were in a sitting position for more than ten hours a day, on average, was eight years older than that of their more active peers.
According to a study by Belgian scientists, this may be due to the fact that exercise and high levels of activity in old age activate the NFR1 gene, which protects the ends of DNA molecules from damage. In addition, playing sports increases the activity of the thymus - the thymus gland, in which stem cells are converted into T-lymphocytes. Over the years, this organ decreases in size, but, as shown by British researchers, only not in those actively involved in sports. In such people, even in old age, the thymus produces as many immune system cells as in young people, and the level of cholesterol in the blood is much lower than in non-athletic peers. In addition, testosterone levels remain high in male athletes.
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Less sugar, more nuts
A sure way to prolong youth is to eat as little sweet as possible, according to English and German geneticists. They put Drosophila on a high-sugar diet and found that this affected the FOXO gene associated with aging.
Young fruit flies were divided into two groups. Some were fed food with an optimal sugar content, while others received food in which sugar was eight times the norm. After three weeks, all insects were put on a regular diet. Nevertheless, fruit flies that overeat sweets at a young age died more often than flies from the control group. The risk of premature death among those with a sweet tooth was nearly 50 percent higher, and switching to healthy foods did not improve survival.
According to the authors of the work, an excess of sugar suppressed the normal activity of the FOXO gene (in Drosophila - dFOXO, an analogue of human FOXO1), which is associated with aging processes. Instead of sugar, scientists advise foods rich in urolithin. This compound is found in walnuts, pomegranates, and strawberries. After injections of urolithin, the nematode worms Caenorhabditis elegans live on average 45 percent longer than their relatives, and common laboratory mice become 42 percent more resilient. Chili pepper significantly increases lifespan, more precisely, the alkaloid capsaicin contained in it. It prevents obesity, reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.
The main thing is not to be nervous
The less a person is nervous, the slower he ages, according to American geneticists. Depression and stress can cause changes in the ANK3 gene, which is responsible for the functioning of cell membranes. Normally, the activity of this gene increases over the years, which leads to decrepitude of the body. However, in people who have experienced severe stress, depression, who tried to commit suicide, there is an increased activity of ANK3 already at a young age, which turns into premature aging. According to researchers, the key to longevity may be in this gene. Disabling it in C. elegans nematodes significantly increased their lifespan. The antidepressant mianserin acted in a similar way, reducing the activity of ANK3 and prolonging the life of the worms.
Alfiya Enikeeva
