Seven Factors of Aging

According to a recent interview with Dr. Aubey de Grey, aging can be seen as disease and therefore we now have the technological capacity to significantly improve human life - vibrant human life. Well, the vibrant part certainly caught my eye.

Many things go wrong with aging bodies, but only a few of them are primary changes in the structure of the body itself — that is, aging damage. Other changes (such as increases in inflammation and oxidative stress) are the secondary consequences of this primary change: either the direct results of those damaged components' inability to carry out their normal role in metabolism, or the body's adaptive or maladaptive attempts to compensate for those changes. - Methuselah Foundation

The seven factors of aging are :

1. the loss of cells we that we need, (healthy)
   
2. the accumulation of cells that we don't need, (ie. cancer or other mutated)
   
3. DNA mutations inside the cell nucleus,
   
4. DNA mutations inside the cell's mitochondia,
5. the accumulation of 'junk' inside the cells, (intracellular matrix)
   
6. the accumulation of 'junk' outside the cells, (extracellular matrix)
   
7. the formation of cross-linked protiens outside the cell.

For each of these factors Dr. De Gey offers a solution. Well, based on the factors I can see that the solutions may not be as easy as one might think, but then again, if you have been following me for a while you know that I firmly believe your environment strongly influences your cellular health. So...it can't be all that difficult can it?

I love looking and physiology and the bio-chemical make up of the body and when reading this article felt that finally someone out there was going to talk about the importance of biology, aging and health. Well, while this was discussed, I was disappointed to find that the human lifestyle factor was not included but the cellular research was the main objective.

Yes, it is important to change policy and become innovative in our research.
Yes, I would donate to this foundation head and shoulders about many others out there.
Yes, it is important to be looking in the right direction.

But don't dismiss the importance of the enivornment that our cells live in. How we think, feel, what we eat, drink and when we move, breath are all vitally important to being able to go back in and repair the damage done in the first place.

From my perspective of the 'seven deadly factors' can be impacted and dramatically changed from cells replicating unhealthy to healthy. Now that doesn't mean one can live on the Standard American Diet (SAD) any longer, so quality of life will need to be a priority. A motivation for change.

It is nice to know though that science is finally taking seriously that aging isn't just about vanity, but about absence of disease. I hope to talk further about this in a series of posts. Taking each of the seven factors and offering options where lifestyle can support a positive change.

Here's to keeping the life in our years! ~j