Biology Body Health Longevity

Anti Aging Science

Methods to Slow or Reverse the Aging Process

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An improved understanding of the biological aging process at a cellular and molecular level is highlighting potential methods for slowing or reversing the damage that leads to chronic disease and death. The major hallmarks of the biological aging process have been identified and based on those discoveries a battery of potential treatments is being researched. Dive into the details of the biological causes of aging and chronic disease, and discover the methods researchers are proposing to slow or even reverse aging.

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Aging appears to be caused by the accumulation of cellular damage

To really understand aging, we need to explore what happens in the body at a cellular and molecular level

Aging is probably driven by the accumulation of damage from various sources

Researchers have proposed common hallmarks of pillars of the aging process

Genetic and epigenetic damage play a role in aging

DNA damage accumulates with age causing cells to malfunction and die

Epigenetic changes affect aging

Damage to or loss of cells can lead to problems such as loss of function or chronic inflammation

Senescence can apply to the entire organism or to a single cell

Cellular senescence suppresses cancer, but can also lead to inflammation and disease

The shortening of telomeres leads to cellular senescence

Lysosomes digest cellular waste, but if they fail it accumulates in the cell and causes problems

If stem cells can't replace damaged or lost cells in the body it can lead to a decline in function

If proteins can't function properly it contributes to aging

Cross-linking happens when sugars in the blood form inappropriate links to proteins

If proteins are misfolded they accumulate and lead to neurodegenerative disease

Metabolism seems to play a vital role in the aging process

Several nutrient sensing signaling pathways seem closely linked to the aging process

Mitochondrial dysfunction likely plays a role in the aging process

Oxidative stress is a form of damage that leads to aging

When inflammation becomes chronic it leads to disease

Toxic stress negatively impacts health and shortens lifespan, but low doses of stress (hormesis) can be good

Anti-aging therapies under development

There are different approaches to developing treatments for aging and age-related disease

Many different approaches to anti-aging treatment are being tested

Many researchers and entrepreneurs hope anti-aging drugs will be a panacea

Metformin may become the first drug to be approved as a treatment against aging

Rapamycin is already a life-saving drug and may slow aging

Drugs and supplements that affect Sirtuins have been very controversial

Senolytics attempt to destroy senescent cells

Other potential anti-aging treatments include regenerative medicine and gene therapy

The idea that young blood can cure aging is not new, but recent research indicates an effect on stem cells

Reactivating stem cells may be the key to regenerative medicine

Gene Therapy is another potential area of anti-aging treatment being explored by some

Cryonics is like a backup plan, in case anti-aging technologies are not developed quickly enough