Few things are a certainty in this life, actually very few, but one thing we can absolutely count on is the fact that we are all going to get older and eventually we will die. The mortality part of that statement is definitely a certainty, regardless of how hard science tries to make us all immortal. As for the aging aspect of it, we are able to do some things that will slow that inevitability down. Man has been trying to weasel his way out of perishing since he first speared his first boar.
That is a few million years of trying to avoid death and during that time; man has done almost everything he could to hasten the grim reaper, even inventing new ways to die. Luckily, while pursuing ways not to die, he was also looking into methods of at least not dying too early. Still, the search to slow aging has gone on for nearly as long as that quest for immortality. Both are ancient stories.
These old stories have taken on new levels of pursuit in the last several decades. The quest to slow the aging process has made more of an immediate impact than the race to immortality. The simple fact is that it is easier to look and feel younger than to stop an evolutionary and biological certainty. Some strides have been made in the anti aging business for instance cosmetic surgery procedures, anti wrinkle serums, healthier diets, exercise regimens and supplements that keep us fit and healthy.
All lead gradually to greater longevity and yet we still have such a long way to go. So much still needs to be understood about aging and what factors control it. So many things have influence over the process of aging like ecological issues such as pollution and environmental contaminants, economic circumstances, lifestyle choices and behavioral factors, some beyond our control. Genetics plays a role, though not as large a part as once thought. Then there is just plain blind luck of the draw.
The average United States citizen these days can expect to live well into their upper seventies or lower eighties and women as a rule have better longevity than men. This is quite a jump from the days when America was still a colony! In the colonial years the average American lived until age forty five and luck had a whole lot to do with that benchmark.
Longevity is a phenomenon of modern times, according to S. Jay Olshansky, a biologist and demographic expert from Chicago and the University of Illinois. He says the largest number of humans ever born perished prior to the age of ten, usually due to infectious diseases. Now that is at once a frightening and astounding statement.
The survival rate has been increased in significant ways, and specifically for the younger people, by improving sanitation and discovering new medicines like penicillin to fight off infections. Childhood vaccinations for numerous diseases have assisted the drop in mortality dramatically. The thing is it just is not that simple to add another seventy or eighty years onto the life of a seventy or eighty year old individual, according to Olshansky.
Though there have been some considerable gains in life span in the last hundred or so years, novel work being done on the advance of aging to what is considered the ceiling limit of one hundred twenty years old probably will not occur in the near future. There is some promise though and there is a lot of money being spent so anything is possible, just not too likely anytime soon. Here is what we have for fighting aging at this point:
Hormone Treatment and Vitamins
The anti aging business in America is very big business indeed with sales recorded at better than fifty billion dollars per annum, mostly due to purchases of dieting supplements, hormones, vitamins and minerals.
Antioxidants are also making up a good deal of the popular vitamin supplement trend these days with sales of vitamin C and E doing well. Antioxidants are said to be capable combatants against free radicals, essentially these are unbalanced molecules thriving within our bodies that can be very damaging when left unchallenged. Antioxidants challenge these invaders. Left unchecked, free radicals will cause rapid aging, cellular deterioration, and organ harm, eventually leading to cancer and other deadly diseases.
More research needs to be completed on antioxidant effectiveness as does study involving the effective capability of hormone treatments such as testosterone, estrogen, DHEA and HGH or human growth hormone. Many medical practitioners prescribe these to their patients in their declining years as a means of warding off the effects of aging and for treating age related illness and conditions and modest successes have been observed. The problem that exists is more research is required – with the likes of the American Medical Association stating that hormone supplementation is risky, lacking evidence of success and perhaps hazardous to the health of the recipient.
Restricting Caloric Intake
Since the 1930’s, researchers have understood that a nutritious but limited diet will increase the longevity of certain living organisms, specifically lab rodents, some monkey species right down to the most minuscule yeast life form. This has been documented but it still remains a mystery whether or not this restriction of calories will have the same effect on humans. Various University research teams across the United States are in the midst of carrying out a new investigation to gather some practical data to evaluate its effectiveness in people.
Those involved in the study as participants are going to consume one quarter less food than they would eat normally and it will be calculated in calories for a period of two years. Investigators will closely observe the contributors to establish if the lower calorie diets are responsible for any actual health advantages that could be linked to an extended life. It will also be interesting to see if these study volunteers can actually remain on such a rigid and limited diet for any length of time, most are guessing the majority will not be able to.
Hyperbaric Treatments
This concept of anti aging involves maintaining a routine of turns inside a chamber that has various levels of pressurized oxygen that is suppose to energize and revitalize the body while it enhances healing and gets rid of toxicity within the body responsible for accelerated aging.
More commonly utilized as a treatment for healing wounds due to reduced circulation of blood, it has also proven effective as a means of treating carbon monoxide poisoning victims. The effectiveness of hyperbaric therapy as a way of fighting the effects of aging is at best, uncertain and worst, a waste of time. Some experts believe that the reverse may be true and it could literally speed the course of aging by rallying the formation of free radical amalgams.
Resveratrol
An innate substance found in certain plants and their fruits, resveratrol has been hyped and promoted to no end by the media and medical mouthpieces as the next great cure all. No doubt that it has some amazing properties but enough already with the overhyped successes and cures for this and that disease or condition. Resveratrol is found in red wine in larger amounts than white and those who sing its praises say it negates age associated issues in animals, but there is a fly in the ointment. Once again while it has shown its effectiveness in worms, fruit flies and even fish, it has been less successful in lab rodents. As for humans, many of the healthful advantages of resveratrol have yet to be verified.
Further Anti Aging Options
There are other things we can do to see that we have a happier, more satisfying life and revel in it with some longevity while we are at it. Unfortunately there is no simple anti aging pill we can take on the horizon but we do not have to have a snooze inside an oxygen chamber either. You may even know some of these methods as sage advice based on firsthand experience: You can start eating more nutritiously, get enough physical activity, manage your stress better and get adequate sleep. There is no need to burn yourself out with exercise but raising your heart rate for twenty or thirty minutes a day will do wonders for your health, well being and anti aging efforts.
Numerous investigations have revealed that people, who have a higher education, astonishingly live longer than those people with less learned knowledge. Education is more of a positive longevity factor than both race and income level. Therefore, the better educated you are, the longer you will be around to put it into good practice.
It has also been verified that keeping up your personal associations with others both for socializing, employment and for worship can aid your longevity. Those folks who have plenty of likeminded friends or remain active within social network environments are just inclined to last longer than those who are disconnected and anti social. The former are also presumably experiencing more joy and satisfaction while they actively participate in their extended life and superior health.
Anti Aging, Anti Aging Products, Anti Aging Supplements, Longevity
Thu, Jul 1, 2010
Anti Aging, Anti Aging Products, Anti Aging Supplements, Longevity