Aging Research: Exploring the science of aging, and age-related diseases

Greetings to my favorite science community online, StemSocial.

I'm back again with another medical science blog and in today's blog we're going to be discussing a bit deeper on a topic I shared about a month ago on StemSocial.

Currently in the world of medical science, there's a popular research going on, the "Aging Research".

Scientists are looking into the science of aging, how it happens and how we can take advantage of the information or knowledge we acquire with this research to either slow down the negative effects of aging or find a good solution to age-related diseases.

In today's blog, we'll discuss a little bit about what we have found out so far about the science of aging and how to handle age-related diseases.

Original Image Source by PixxlTeufel from Pixabay

Aging is a topic that's been part of human curiosity for as long as forever.

Everyone gets older and the more you age, the more your body changes. These changes are both the ones you see on the surface and the ones you can't.

The thing that scientific research has made clear is that the changes you can't see are actually what results into the changes you see like wrinkles, loss of hair, hair color change, loss of strength and all other age-related diseases.

Lately as I mentioned before, the world of science has been pretty busy trying to figure out the secret behind why we age, how we can live longer, and also how to treat those age-related dieseases.

Now let's take a casual stroll through the world of aging research and understand how science intends to handle it.

Cracking the Aging Code

Aging might seem like a straightforward process, but it's actually a bit of a puzzle. A lot of research has gone into finding out the secret to why we age and we have finally found it.

Aging is actually the build up of genetic errors in our DNA. What I'm trying to say is that we have literally been programmed to slowly self-destruct at some point in our lives.

The secret is in our very own DNA. I quite remember explaining how this works on this very community. For those that missed that blog I'll take the liberty of briefly explaining it again.

The cells in our body need to constantly divide to create new cells that would replace dead cells and also bring in new cells which leads to growth.

Now our DNA replicates in order to make it possible for our cells to divide into new cells. The DNA has a protective cap at each end called Telomeres.

These Telomeres protect the DNA from damage just like how the hard plastic at the tip of your shoelace protects the lace from getting destroyed.

Now here's where the genetic error lies - everytime the DNA replicates, the Telomeres get shorter. This happens slowly but over and over until there's no more telomeres. This is the point the scientists termed Senescence.

So it gets to a point where the cells stop replicating and that means new cells do not replace older or dead ones. This is why the body of the old people seem to be deteriorating everytime.

Our bodies go through a whole bunch of changes as the years roll on. This shortening of telomeres is associated with aging.

Oxidative Stress - Rusting on the Inside

Our cells produce something called free radicals. They are more like the tiny troublemakers of our body. They can literally damage things like our very own DNA, proteins, and lipids.

This damage is what we call oxidative stress, and that speeds up the aging process. Just like I made mention in my preceding paragraph, as we age, there are changes on the inside that results in changes on the outside.

The DNA, protein and lipids damaged by free radicals inside our body is what contributes to the changes on the outside of our body as we age.

Inflammation

Inflammation is your body's way of fighting off infections. But sometimes, most especially as we get older, it's almost like the alarm is constantly ringing.

Chronic inflammation, or "inflammaging," can lead to health issues like heart disease and arthritis. This is one of the reasons why heart diseases is predominant amongst old people.

The Quest for Living Longer

Now let's just be honest guys, who doesn't want to live a longer, healthier life?

While the ancient and magical "Fountain of Youth" still remains a mystery, science has given us a few hints on how to stretch our time on this planet. Yes of course even if you follow all this and end up in a fatal motor accident, you will still die so please be careful out there.

Caloric Restriction - Eating Less for More

Now don't get me wrong, it's not about starving yourself to death but it's about eating fewer calories without missing out on the essential nutrients.

Medical Research shows that it can extend the lifespan of various creatures, from yeast to mice. In simple terms, it's about being smart about what you eat or have a healthy diet.

One thing that we have found out about calories is that it actually accelerates the aging process. I'm not saying become a vegan immediately but be careful about what you put into your stomach because it can definitely determine your lifespan.

The Good Genes

Now guys, believe it or not, some people actually have genes that naturally let them live longer. Ever wondered why some people smoke and drink alcohol a lot and yet seem to live even longer than some that athletes that exercise and keep good diet. That answer is in their genetics. They are the lucky ones.

Now you might ask what good does this knowledge do for those without the lucky good genes?

Well, scientists are trying to figure out what these genes are and how they work. If we can figure all these out, we might be able to find a way to make everyone have good genes that would greatly increase all our lifespan.

Lifestyle Choices - Living the Good Life

This one's definitely a no-brainer. Eating well, getting some exercise, and keeping your stress levels low are the keys to a longer, healthier life.

Just think of it as taking good care of your car. It lasts longer and serves the owner more effectively.

Battling Age-Related Troubles

As some people age, they might encounter some diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer, or heart problems. These are the things that make old age less fun and more problematic.

However, our scientists are constantly doing their research to find out exactly why or how these diseases come in and how to prevent them from happening more often for old people.

Medical Research For Solutions

I wanted to briefly share with you, some medical research scientists and doctors are performing in their fight against age related dieseases and the vision to make us live longer and healthier lives.

Senolytics - The Cell Cleaners

Senolytic cells are more like the janitors of the body. They can spot those cells that should've retired but didn't, and they take them out. These old cells that should be gone contribute to age-related dieseases if they are still present.

By driving old cells out, senolytics might help us keep those age-related diseases at arm's length.

Imagine having to grow without the fear of getting sick with some kind of fatal disease. Now that would be a life worth living.

Longer Telomeres - Extending Chromosome Protection

Now I personally do believe in the potential for this medical strategy to stop the aging process or reduce the risk of age-related diseases.

Some medical researchers are trying to figure out how to make our telomeres longer. It would be like being able to give our own cells a longer lease on life.

If we can manege to pull this off, it might slow down aging and I know I may be entering the world of science fiction but might also lead to the possibility of Immortality.

Epigenetics - The Gene Remote Control

Imagine if we could actually control our genes and tell them how to behave as we grow. Epigenetics is like the remote control for your genes.

It tells your genes when to work and when to pause work. The issue is that as we age, these controls change and goes into self-destruct command.

Now the key here is in understanding how this remote control work. It might actually help us age with grace.

To draw the curtains on today's blog, aging research is about uncovering the mysteries of getting older, staying healthier, and enjoying those golden years.

Although sadly, we might not have found the Fountain of Youth yet, but what we're learning through scientific research is already helping us live better and longer lives.

There's more potential for medical science to solve the issue of age related problems and diseases. I have so much hope that we will make great progress and that would result in a better life for everyone especially old people.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read today's blog. I hope you found it both informative and entertaining. As always, my blogs are open for any question or comment you may have regarding the blog topic. I'll be more than happy to respond to them.

Have a lovely day and catch you next time on StemSocial. Goodbye 👨‍🔬