Dying Young?
What is AGING?
“Aging is the GRADUAL decline in the body’s function over time, it’s a loss of information.” (Dr. David Sinclair)
It leads to several physiological changes over our LIFESPAN. Some of these changes are benign, like gray hair and wrinkles, WHILE OTHERS CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH AND LONGEVITY, like reduced mobility and increased disease risk. So, we may have a long lifespan, but decades of this lifespan may be spent riddled with disease and decline.
Scientists have speculated for years about the exact mechanisms behind the aging process. Some have suggested that aging is a built-in part of biology and that cells are programmed to deteriorate over time. Other theories propose that aging is not necessarily inherent, but rather is an accumulation of damage caused by environmental factors, a “disease” that can be cured. Dr. Sinclair, and others, PROPOSE THAT AGING IS NOT INEVITABLE, BUT ACTUALLY RESULTS FROM DNA DAMAGE THAT IS BOTH IDENTIFIABLE AND CURABLE.
What we want is a LONG HEALTHSPAN, not just a long lifespan. We want to LIVE a quality life up to the end. We want our health to take us all the way to the very last drop. We want to die “young” as late as possible! Our goal should be our healthspan = lifespan!
“Increasing lifespan can mean delaying the onset of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (heart attack and stroke), cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and accidental death. (Taken together, these broad causes of death account for about 80% of deaths in a non-smoking population).” (Peter Attia, M.D.)
However! If we want to talk about Enhancing healthspan, by contrast, we can delay, according to Peter Attia, M.D., these three categories of decline around quality of life:
1. COGNITIVE: Decline in executive function, processing speed, and memory
2. PHYSICAL: Decline in stability, flexibility, mobility, strength, muscle mass, bone density, aerobic efficiency, anaerobic output, freedom from pain, and sexual function.
3. EMOTIONAL: Decline in social support, relationships, sense of purpose, fulfillment, and relationality.
WHILE DEATH IS ABSOLUTE AND INEVITABLE, A LOSS OF THE THREE ELEMENTS OF HEALTHSPAN ARE NOT.
As research has evolved, aging experts now believe that the aging process is a combination a COMPLEX INTERACTION BETWEEN GENETIC AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. Science is uncovering ways we can reprogram, renew and REVERSE aging cells! We can extend our Lifespan by reversing our biological age even as we grow chronologically older!
Do you want to grow younger every year for as long as possible? We can’t live forever, but we can enjoy life to the fullest while we are here!
