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Asked by to Andrei, Ekbal, Gemma, Helen, Ruth on 17 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
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Gemma Marsden answered on 17 Jun 2014:
Hi tmacd11,
This is a great question and not one that we really understand the answer to. The reason we can’t really answer your question is because we don’t really understand what causes ageing.
It used to be thought that ageing was the result of wear and tear (just like a pencil will eventually run out) but this explanation does not explain why a group of 70 year olds will look physically different from each other and while some of them will be fit and healthy other members of the group will have chronic illnesses.
Some of this can be explained by the impact of our different lifestyles such as too little exercise or too much sugar! But this does not explain everything.
What is known is that for some chronic conditions you are more likely to develop them if other members of your family do. This indicates that our DNA and genes have a role in ageing.
On a basic level, you can see the effect of ageing on skin – it loses its elasticity and starts to wrinkle or form lines. This is because a material that is in our body called collagen becomes more rigid and shrinks as we age.
Coming back to your question (eventually), the mechanisms and systems in our body that protect us become less efficient as we age and we also become more vulnerable to disability.
Investigating ageing is an important area of research especially as we have an ageing population.
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Helen Gath answered on 20 Jun 2014:
Hi @tmacd11,
If only we could explain everything in the world! Although then life would probably be a bit dull….I like researching the answers to questions.
With ageing, it is right to say that it comes down to wear and tear. I do find it interesting that when you are young, if you damage your skin it will heal over absolutely fine. The cells which replace it are easily made and just as healthy as the ones before. But why do older people struggle to repair broken skin? It takes so much longer, and often leaves a scar.
One reason culprit for this ‘wear and tear’ are ‘free radicals’. These are molecules with an odd number of electrons. Most molecules in our body have a neutral number of electrons and they are quite happy getting on with their job whatever it maybe. They are fairly un-reactive and don’t cause trouble. But free radicals ARE trouble makers. Because they are not complete (remember, they have an ODD number of electrons), they are always rushing around trying to find another electron so they can be whole. This makes they very reactive! They will try to take electrons from our nice, well behaved, hard working molecules. If the free radicals are successful, the normal molecules are left damaged. This damage means they don’t function or repair as well, i.e. we show the signs of ageing.
Free radicals come from the sun, pollution, smoking….as we get older, we have therefore been exposed to free radicals for much longer and have accumulated more inside us.
We can’t stop these free radicals damaging us, but we can lower their effect. Anti-oxidants are like crime stoppers; they react with the free radical, calming them down so that they don’t react with other molecules and damage them. This has a positive effect on cell growth and repair, and why it is so important to eat food high in anti oxidants, like oranges, blueberries, broccoli. So eat a rainbow of foods!
Comments
Gemma commented on :
Helen, can you explain different people with the same lifestyle (diet, exercise, environment etc) ageing at different rates?
Helen commented on :
Hmm, well as we both mentioned, DNA still has a role in ageing process. I wonder if it’s down to individual genetic differences , that also affect how well our body functions. Also, though you could say that this is a lifestyle, mental health massively affects your age. If you are very stressed, your immune system doesn’t not function as well, your health deteriorates. I am a firm believer in the power of the mind as well. Look at how many cancer patients with a positive attitude recover, compared with those adopting a more negative response? It could be coincidental, but I fell there could be more to it.