If you are human, then aging is a natural process. Whether you have begun to grow wrinkles on
your face, grow dark spots Or maybe suddenly you couldn’t digest the
foods you used to have no problems. Certain things that used to be taken for
granted all of a sudden taken away from you. So why do we age? Do we also have to accept
aging as is? Or is there a way to control the pace which
one ages? This time, we are here to explore the 9
reasons why aging happens.
Image 1. The 9 causes of aging. (López-Otín C, Blasco MA, Partridge L, et al. :
The hallmarks of aging. Cell. 2013;153:1194–217.)
There exists
a study that was published in Cell on 2013 called <The Hallmarks of
Aging>. Up until
2019, this study that been referenced for over 4800, marking as a trustworthy
study.
Image 2. DNA damage type and The Repair system’s
functions
Cause 1 of Aging: Genomic Instability
A genome is a complete set of DNA of an
organism. Throughout time, humans have evolved a
system that repairs DNA that were constantly being damaged. However, as the DNA damage accumulates and
DNA repair system changes overtime, DNA correction slowly takes a toll on the
human body. In the end, the genetic code for the system changes. Think of it as if we are playing a game of
Telephone game. The first word that started will barely match the last word
delivered. Just like this, overtime the genetic code changes and influences the
repair system, eventually producing an entirely different protein. This scenario spreads across the whole
genome until the cells cannot continue working properly. Normally, cells are designed to divide
50~70 times, but with these changes they could split infinitely, which is what
cancer is.
Do you see with one reason why aging occurs? In order for our DNA to not suffer much
damage, we are advised to put on UV cream, exercise properly and have a
balanced, low calorie diet.
Next time, we figure out the remaining 8 causes
of aging.
Can we truly live until 200 years old?
Of course, while maintaining the body and
brain of a person in 20s~30s
