Why we Age (and how to postpone it) Part 2

This is part of a series. If you would like to see the entire series click here.

In the first part I explained the process of aging as a whole, so in this part I will focus in on one specific mechanism that degrades our bodies and offer speculation as to how to slow it down.

Intracellular Aggregates

Our cells are constantly changing. They are always repairing parts of themselves, or breaking down parts that are broken or superfluous. Anything that needs to be broken down by a cell goes to the lysosome where enzymes and chemicals break it down. Sometimes a cell won't have the proper enzymes to break down these structures because their composition has been altered. When a cell cannot export these parts they remain in the lysosome until it can be broken down, which is usually never. After many years of this process, this junk buildup can inhibit functions of the cell. This is bad news for cells that are permanent (never divide) such as the cells in your retina, heart, and nerve cells.

Related Pathology:

• Arteriosclerosis
• Macular Degeneration
• Alzheimer's
• Decreased Heart Function (increased cardiological risk)
• Decreased Motor Function

Prevention

There is not yet any therapy for the removal of intracellular aggregates but there are things you can do to prevent some of the damage that accumulates in your cells.

Let's talk about free radicals. Free radicals are simply atoms that are missing electrons. Atoms really like electrons and would do anything to get them back, so they take them from other atoms. The atoms that just lost their electrons want their electrons back so they get them from other atoms and so on until you have a chain reaction. When this process occurs in a cell it can damage structures within the cell thus forming intracellular aggregates. In order to avoid too many free radicals in your body there are a few things you can do.

Meat can contain alot of free radicals simply due to the possibility that the animal you are eating may already have accumulated free radicals over the course of it's life. Cooked meat has even more because cooking meat speeds up chemical reactions within the meat and denatures the meat's proteins.

Cigarette smoke has many free radicals. If you think about all of the chemicals that go into the processing of cigarettes and then the implication of cooking these chemicals (lighting the cigarette) and catalyzing any reactions that may be taking place and then inhaling these chemicals; you can imagine just how many free radicals you are putting into your body.

Now let's talk about antioxidants. Antioxidants are "benevolent" chemicals that have electrons to spare. When a free radical comes in contact with an antioxidant, the antioxidant gives it's electron to the free radical. The free radical is now happy with it's extra electron and the antioxidant is eventually secreted in your urine.

If you are going to eat cooked meat or smoke; include a lot of antioxidant foods in your diet to help counter the amount of free radicals you are taking in. Also be sure to eat antioxidant rich foods before you work out because the chemical reactions that take place when your body is under stress can produce free radicals as well.

Antioxidant rich foods:

• Blueberries
• Red Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Cranberries
• Strawberries
• Red Delicious Apples
• Granny Smith Apples
• Cherries
• Pecans
• Plums
• Many More

Stay Tuned!

This is part of a series and I will be posting more about causes of aging and possible prevention later on. If you would like to read more posts in this series click here.