I?m afraid the answer is ?Yes and no.? Lots of myth and a little reality.
Some of what you may hear about anti-aging strategies ? such as hormone replacement ? is unproven and likely dangerous. Other approaches ? anti-oxidants ? have some validity, but aren?t the total answer.
Scientific experts in the field of aging admit that they haven?t unlocked the entire puzzle. For instance, a fast heart rate, as in birds, generally means a shorter life, yet parrots live to be in their 80s.
Then there is the question of the difference between aging and longevity ? they aren?t necessarily the same. Your ability to stay alive is challenged more by disease and accidents than by aging.
Do we age less than our ancestors?
Descriptions of past generations suggest they did not age any faster than we do. Life expectancy was about half of what it is today, around 40, for much of human life. However, since recorded history, 40-year-old people were often not considered old. Alexander the Great was thought to have died young, at 33. Plato and Sophocles were thought of as old when they died at 80 and 90. Ramses was believed to have lived into his 90s, maybe even 100.
Much of the difference in life expectancy is a product of statistics. Great numbers of babies used to die at birth. This brings down the average length of life. Even today in some underdeveloped countries fifty percent of the population dies by the age of 5, while those who survive and don?t succumb to warfare, accidents, or starvation, live to comparable ages to those in developed countries.
In developed countries we keep more children alive because we understand childbirth, sanitation, and can afford to feed a higher percentage of our babies. We live in a safer world. That has helped our statistics, but hasn?t affected our deterioration.
Is it all genetic?
Genes do effect how long we live, mostly because they influence our susceptibility to disease. There are an estimated 7,000 genes related to diseases. However, even the strongest gene is influenced by environment. For instance, the two populations with the highest genetic vulnerability to atherosclerosis are those living in Finland and New Guinea, yet they have widely different rates of atherosclerosis. The Fins, like most people in industrialized societies, die at much higher rates from heart disease.
Is aging hormonal?
Hormone levels increase the risks of certain diseases and decrease the incidence of other. After menopause, for instance, declining levels of estrogen increase the risks of heart diseases, but decrease the level of female cancers. Testosterone also exhibits different effects depending on age. Overall, castration increases longevity, yet isn?t a popular treatment.
What about antioxidants?
There is no observable general relationship between antioxidants and longevity or slowed aging. However, they do reduce heart disease and cancer, but this is only shown in studies looking at the intake of fruits and vegetables. Individual supplemental antioxidants do not show the same positive effect. This may be because synthetic forms are usually used, but much more testing needs to be done.
Glucose damage?
There is some interesting research on glucose damage related to aging. In chemistry this is called the Browning or Maillard reaction. When glucose attaches itself inappropriately to a protein, damage results. Cataracts, atherosclerosis, heart attacks, stroke, lung and joint stiffness, diabetes and Alzheimer?s are all associated both with aging and Browning reactions.
High glucose consumption, since it increases the risk of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, is related to aging and certainly increases early death.
(to be continued)
Tom Ballard RN, ND Medical Director
