We humans may be the only species aware of our mortality. We become obsessed with how to put off the inevitable and, if that fails, how to make the most of our lives. For as long as we have existed as a species, there has been little we can do about aging or death. In fact, for most of history, most of us died long before we were actually old. Over the past few decades, molecular and cell biologists have made progress in understanding the underlying causes of aging, which has raised the possibility of solving aging itself.
Researchers are exploring many palliative agents. That is, beneficial pathways triggered by caloric restriction that improve health indicators in older animals; Targets aging cells that secrete inflammatory compounds that accumulate as we age; increasing stem cell numbers; And it activates mitochondria, which metabolize energy in our cells.
These are all promising, but it will take some time before they are proven effective and safe in humans. While we wait for the biomedical community to devise a powerful way to address aging itself, here are three simple ways to stay healthy as you age, leveraging our understanding of advances in biology and medicine.
eat less
A calorie-restricted diet means consuming only the minimum number of calories while still getting all the nutrients we need. These diets are difficult for most people to follow and have been reported to slow wound healing, make you more susceptible to certain infections, lose muscle mass, feel cold, and cause loss of sex drive. However, a balanced, moderate diet should provide many of the benefits observed in calorie-restricted diets. Michael Pollan said it best: Eat your food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
keep exercising
Physical activity activates many pathways that stimulate mitochondrial production. It also helps maintain muscle and bone mass, which become serious problems as we age. Counters diabetes and obesity. Improves sleep. And it strengthens immunity. Aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular health. Load-bearing exercise helps maintain muscle mass. Both are important.
Get adequate sleep
All animals have the equivalent of sleep. Because sleep is essential to life. Sleep is involved in repair mechanisms that prevent cellular damage, and lack of sleep increases the risk of a variety of aging diseases, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. We need to make sure we get enough sleep.
Embrace synergy
Together, these three things: diet, exercise, and sleep, will be more beneficial than any current treatment. All three measures have a synergistic effect. Each of these makes it easier to do the other two. For example, exercise can help you sleep better. Moreover, they may also help with other things that can aid healthy aging, including preventing obesity, a serious cause of many age-related diseases.
Also pay attention to the following factors:
stress. Stress is known to have wide-ranging metabolic effects that are detrimental to health and accelerate aging. Reducing stress is always difficult, but the three activities mentioned can also help you reduce it.
isolation. Many population studies indicate that loneliness worsens health in old age. In an increasingly fragmented society, it is important to maintain and foster social connections as we age.
purpose. People with a strong sense of purpose were healthier and less likely to die. One study found that one effective way to gain a sense of purpose is to volunteer for activities that provide social interaction and bring benefit to the community or society.
And get regular checkups.
In addition to these measures, there are some simple health precautions we all need to take as we age. It is important to have regular and early screening for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, etc. All of these conditions can be treated easily and inexpensively, increasing your chances of staying healthy into old age. Additionally, good indicators are becoming available for early diagnosis of a variety of treatable diseases, including some types of cancer. Early detection of breast, cervical, colorectal (colon), skin, and prostate cancers can all improve clinical outcomes.
