My class just had our 10 year reunion

[Line]

My class just had our 10 year reunion. I'm trippin on how different and aged everyone looks. I mean the kids still hasn't all gone inside of me and I look at people I haven't seen since '96 and it's scaring me. I still have slear memories but a gap between then and now.

Like everyone older told you when you were young your years will fly right by and you will be old. Isn't that true!

So can somebody give me some advice for ageing. I know this is not scientific but it does relate to Biology.

 

[hitssquad]

Advice for maintaining rapid biological aging

You would like to know how to biologically-age as rapidly as possible? High blood-sugar, and high postprandial blood-sugar rise, help.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't think he's asking how to age quickly, he's asking how to not age quickly. The best answer is to maintain overall good health; don't smoke, get enough rest every night, find ways to cope with stress, eat healthy...

As for avoiding high post-prandial glucose levels (post-prandial means after meals), a rise in glucose is normal after eating, but would be elevated abnormally high in diabetics, so, yep, avoid diabetes, and if you do have it, be very careful about managing it.

 

[DocToxyn]

I don't think he's asking how to age quickly, he's asking how to not age quickly. The best answer is to maintain overall good health; don't smoke, get enough rest every night, find ways to cope with stress, eat healthy...

To add a bit to what Moonbear said, throw in some exercise. You'll find that it's easier to remain healthy, get better rest, cope with stress and eat healthy if some moderate physical activity is driving towards those ends. Take a walk every day, get on a bike, join a fitness center. Start slow and add more when you feel comfortable and a check up with the doc is always a good idea before jumping into any exercise regimen.

 

[quasi426]

Just to add to my two dimes, you just have to make all the things above a lifestyle. And you can call it behavior modification or whatever you want, but basically you just have to take control of your decisions and not let the days pass one after another while you just sit there not changing. Anyway this isn't very biologically based, just experience.

 

[selfAdjoint]

I'm 72, and still in good health. I eat a lean low fat, low salt, low cholesterol diet, do an "oldster" workout every day and try to walk an hour a day. I haven't smoked for forty years. It works for me. Good LDL, HDL, blood pressure, weight, etc. Good genes helps a whole lot, too. No arthritis for example.

 

[zenjicomet]

I'm not sure how practical you'll find it, but if you're really serious about maintaining health you might check out a book by Ray Kurzweil titled "Fantastic Voyage: How to Live Long Enough to Live Forever." His plan is pretty demanding but it's a good read even if you don't go all out.

 

[genopilator]

actually I've heard that ageing is related to a certain gene in our body

 

[zenjicomet]

Yes. Your genes will determine the extent to which all the stuff you eat, drink, breathe, etc. will make you age, it benefits everyone to watch what you eat, drink, breathe, etc.

If there is a death gene I don't think it acts alone. Still, if there is one I'm sure we'll find it eventually and figure out how to turn it off and then we'll see. Actually, I once read an article where a guy claimed to have done just that with some rabbits. Supposedly they lived to be much older than normal rabbits but I never heard anything more about it.

 

[gamze]

there are some genes related to longevity in worms, I suppose. sirtuins or something like that.

(a Nature paper:
sinclairfs.med.harvard.edu/pdfs/nature2004.pdf)

 

[scott1]

I know UV light also has effect on ageing

 

[quasi426]

I know UV light also has effect on ageing

UV light exposure increases the probability of DNA mutations. This usually has detrimental long term effects.

 

[scott_alexsk]

Does aging have something to do with the buildup flawed cells. I mean if all cells remained and worked as they should would the body ever die, disregarding everything but death by natural causes? Or is it that the cells just wear out?
-Scott

 

[adjkgh]

genes are definitely a part of the process of aging. old cells die out and the process of mitosis produces new cells. in mitosis, DNA is replicated and each time it is replicated, the primer (which is always the start of a DNA strand) is trimmed off. As aging grows, the DNA strand gets shorter and shorter because each time a new primer forms after the DNA is replicated and each one get trimmed off in the next replication.

confusing? haha sorry for the odd phrasing =/

 

[scott_alexsk]

Actually that makes sense. So the problem is not in multiplied cell errors but the continuious triming off of the DNA strand. Do cells become more frail as a result of this? Also is it this that causes the immune system to become weaker as a person becomes older or is this not related to genetics?

 

[gamze]

I think there is a hypothesis that this trimming of the telomeres, (and the reduced activity of telomerase) is a mechanism for long-living organisms so that less mutations accumulate in a cell.