In general, the end of puberty marks the beginning of physical aging.
here are ten ways to slow down the aging process and the ways we age.
The aging process starts when we are still in our late teens. Although the initial stages of aging remain concealed from view, they can be recognized by performing simple tests, the outcomes of which establish our biological age.
These days, it’s typical to distinguish between our chronological age, which is based on our birth year, and biological age, which is based on the condition of our bodily tissues. As a result, the rate of aging varies throughout tissues and organs as well as between individuals. For instance, a person who is 35 years old chronologically may actually be 60 years old biologically, based on laboratory testing, and vice versa.
Numerous signs, including liver tissue, bone density, hormone profile, cognitive abilities, lung functions, and other biochemical markers, are used to calculate an individual’s biological age. For instance, there can be marked lung tissue aging in addition to a healthy liver, or there might be rapid skin aging but relatively modest skeleton aging.
Numerous variables affect how quickly we age, with genetics being one of the most significant. However, numerous studies indicate that our lifestyle choices can have a considerable, and sometimes even deciding, impact on how quickly we age.
It is crucial to attempt to slow down the rate of aging because it is a risk factor for numerous ailments in and of itself. These days, there are countless safe and efficient methods to halt the advancement of common aging processes:
1. Aging brain
Every day, brain tissue cells die, but they do not regrow like those in other organ systems. The degree to which this process affects mood and cognitive performance is unavoidable, but it is dependent on a number of manageable variables.
The calcification of the brain’s microscopic blood arteries, which impairs normal function and raises the chance of ischemic stroke—the loss of a significant portion of the brain—is another effect of aging on the brain.
Remedies:
Age-related cognitive decline can be significantly slowed down by preserving social structure and cognitive engagement at any age, as well as by effectively diagnosing and treating any early depressive symptoms that may arise. Either overt or covert sadness causes significant memory problems, a slowing down of brain activity, and in adults, it may even be mistaken for dementia.
Delaying the calcification of blood arteries in the brain requires maintaining a normal lipid profile and blood pressure.
Long-term use of omega-3 supplements containing high concentrations of DHA lowers the risk of dementia in general and supports mental stability.
It has been discovered that taking Ginkgo biloba-based dietary supplements enhances memory functions, thinking rate and speed, and is good for brain health at any age.
Taking supplements containing coenzyme Q10, a material that our livers manufacture in large quantities when we are young and whose levels decline as we age. Consuming it as a nutritional supplement raises the energy content and activity of brain tissue, which improves cognitive performance even in individuals with dementia diagnoses and is undoubtedly advantageous for brain function in old age.
2. The liver aging
The liver becomes fatty and the liver tissue changes with age. The liver suffers severe damage from this process, which also interferes with other of its processes, including the synthesis of Coenzyme Q10.
Remedies:
To reduce the amount of liver tissue that is harmed annually, obesity should be prevented by limiting calories, abstaining from alcohol and painkillers, and treating high blood cholesterol levels effectively.
3. Aging muscles
We begin to gradually lose muscular mass in our late 20s and beyond. In addition to the aging process itself, the percentage of fat in our bodies rises yearly.
Remedies:
To optimally mitigate this innate process of muscle tissue depletion, it is imperative to guarantee a sufficient daily consumption of complete protein from a nutritional source across all dietary types—vegan, vegetarian, lacto-ovo, or omnivorous—and engage in regular physical activity that incorporates strength training and stretching.
4. Body fat
As the preceding section suggested, obesity in women tends to be more distributed, whereas in males it tends to concentrate in the abdomen. As we age, we also tend to acquire weight because of this obvious rise in body fat.
Any form of obesity unquestionably raises an individual’s risk of developing diabetes, and in men, it creates a gateway for the development of chronic conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
Solutions:
As we age, we need to engage in regular aerobic exercise in addition to reducing our daily caloric intake to slow down the age-related and progressive process of obesity.
5. Skin aging
Sun exposure history plays a major role in determining the rate of skin aging, even in individuals with the finest genetics. More than 70% of the skin aging rate is attributed to excessive sun exposure. This includes the development of age spots, wrinkles, pigmentation, flexibility of the skin, and, of course, the malignant and precancerous lesions that are characteristic of advanced age.
Remedies:
Apart from the significance of decreasing solar radiation exposure, there is a discernible impact of giving up smoking and augmenting the intake of antioxidants through dietary sources or nutritional supplements.
For instance, it has been shown that oil-soluble antioxidants, such vitamin E or lycopene, a tomato-derived vegetable pigment, greatly reduce the oxidative damage brought on by the sun. This also helps to slow down the series of chemical reactions in the skin that produce aging.
Vitamin C is crucial for preserving the healthy synthesis of collagen, the elastic substance that is harmed by UV radiation and results in the usual looseness of the skin (also known as solar elastosis).
6. Aging hair
Progressive baldness, which is characterized by hair thinning and a change in texture until the appearance of baldness characteristic of men at the top, and diffused hair thinning in women, appears with age in men with a genetic predisposition and in women after the menstrual cycle ends.
Solutions:
It has been discovered that natural remedies and medications that prevent testosterone from being converted into its active form DHT, which is present in both sexes, are essential in reducing the rate at which hair follicles are destroyed and preventing the onset of baldness or age-related hair thinning in postmenopausal women and men.
7. Eye aging
Sunlight exposure causes oxidative damage, which is the main cause of the aging processes that are typical of the eyes.
Macular degeneration, or the progressive deterioration of the retina due to oxidative stress, and cataract, or clouding or blurring of the lens of the eye, are two symptoms of aging the eye. Advanced cataract processes can only be treated surgically by replacing the affected lens, but studies have shown that frequent intake of vitamin C, wearing sunglasses, and consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables can all help to slow down the onset and advancement of cataracts.
The primary cause of blindness in the elderly is still macular degeneration, for which there is presently no suitable treatment. That being said, taking lutein-based nutritional supplements is thought to be one of the only proven treatments that can reduce the advancement of retinal degeneration. Lutein is a plant pigment that is taken from green leaves.
8. Skeletal aging
In old age, bone density plays a critical role in function; yet, serious deterioration to bone can lead to spontaneous fractures and impair movement. The loss of bone density occurs gradually in males as they age, but it also happens quickly and progressively in women following the conclusion of the menstrual cycle.
Once the bones have lost a substantial portion of their calcium content, there is no longer a medication or other method to replenish it other than to try to impede its advancement.
Remedies:
In order to mitigate the rate at which calcium is lost from the bones, it is imperative to guarantee sufficient consumption of calcium through diet or as a dietary supplement when combined with acceptable blood levels of vitamin D. Recently, it has been discovered that most people still have some degree of vitamin D insufficiency, even in sun-loving nations like ours. Therefore, if a vitamin D deficit is found in blood tests, it is necessary to supply the patient with a vitamin D supplement.
In addition, it has been discovered that weight-lifting physical activities are a highly efficient way to slow down the osteoporosis process.
9. Aged joints
The cartilage of weight-bearing joints like the knees and pelvic joints, as well as smaller joints like the wrist and even the fingers, gradually deteriorates with advancing age.
Solutions:
While walking and other moderate physical activities help to retain knee cartilage, high impact exercises like weightlifting and running might deteriorate it.
If taken consistently over time, taking dietary supplements based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine has been shown to be beneficial in reducing the degradation of cartilage.
10. lung tissue
Each year, we lose a portion of both lung function and lung capacity. This is a normal aging process that is considerably sped up in smokers, individuals with congenital or acquired lung disorders, individuals exposed to high levels of air pollution, and individuals exposed to specific occupational dangers like silica and other toxic compounds.
Solutions:
The best way to slow down the rate at which lung functions deteriorate continuously as one ages is to abstain from smoking and passive smoking, limit your exposure to air pollution, and engage in physical activity that expands your lung capacity, like frequent aerobic exercise.
