Causes Of Aging
Medical researchers have understood for some time that a variety of physiological mechanisms are associated with the aging process. Only recently have they been able to define with some precision the nature these mechanisms—what they are, how they operate within the body, their effects, etc. They are the biological processes that cause aging to occur. These mechanisms are, in fact, why we age.
More recently still scientists have discovered there are certain nutrients/dietary supplements that can be taken which have the ability to slow down these physiological mechanisms which underlie the aging process. As these processes are slowed down, the health span is lengthened, and one is able to experience a more graceful transition from mid-life to senior citizenship, indeed from youth to middle-age.
Although eating the proper foods and getting enough exercise are important steps that should be taken by everyone interested in graceful aging, only certain nutrients—many of which are not available at effective levels from our modern food supply, even in organic foods—have the ability to slow the aging process. It is only by supplementing with specific nutritional substances can the full benefits of increasing the health span be achieved.
The following is a list of the causes that are largely at the root of premature aging. When this type of unnecessary aging occurs, it's likely caused, facilitated, and/or perpetuated by one or a combination of the following principal factors:
These factors—each of which will be discussed in detail—often work together to degrade the body’s natural defenses, the ultimate result of which is unnecessary premature physical aging and the accompanying physical degradation. In the current section and the Ingredients section of this website, you will explore the new science of "age management" as well as the various supplemental strategies that can have a profound effect on your graceful aging. A careful reading of this Causes of Aging section—which encompasses the various biological pathways that affect aging—will enable you to understand the significance of the remedies discussed in the Ingredients section.
Whether you are a Baby Boomer, a Baby Buster, or a Generation Xer—or have loved ones who are—you will want to consider carefully the practical steps outlined on this website that will help you and those you care about to gain protection from the ravages of unnecessary premature aging.
GLYCATION, LIPOXIDATION and CARBONYLATION:
Double-Crossing Our Future
To understand these processes, one must understand the role of insulin in the body. A familiar word to most, insulin is a hormone secreted by the islets of Langerhans—small clusters of cells within the pancreas of mammals. Named after the German pathologist Paul Langerhans (1847-1888) who discovered the “islets” or “islands,” the term is translated into Latin as “insula,” the root derivation of the word insulin. In addition to being a household name, insulin is one of the body's most important and studied chemicals. Read more >>>
IMMUNE SYSTEM DYSFUNCTION:
The Depleted Biological Department
of Defense
Medical science only recently has begun to entertain the notion that many seemingly specific health challenges may affect the entire body rather than being simply abnormalities of isolated parts such as the heart, the lungs, the joints, etc. In a very real sense, the immune system represents an important index of the overall health of the entire body, as its activities fundamentally affect all of the body’s organs and systems. A healthy immune system is the body’s overall front-line promoter of good health, as well as providing an intricate defense system against infection from foreign invaders. Read more >>>
UNHEALTHY INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE:
The Smoldering Slow-Burn
of Ill Health
Inflammation is the body’s first-response survival strategy and defense mechanism designed to combat irritation and infection. It is the immune system’s attempt to combat bodily trauma as well as foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Inflammation is characterized by a series of familiar occurrences: redness, heat, swelling, and pain. Examples of this process include the redness caused by sunburn; the swelling and redness of a splinter under the skin; the soreness of an over-worked muscle; or a fever caused by an infective pathogen. Read more >>>
MITOCHONDRIAL ENERGY DEPLETION:
Running Out of Cellular Steam
Mitochondria are tiny organelle (little organ) structures present in every cell in the human body. They range in number from many thousands in cells with a high metabolic rate such as heart muscle cells, to only several dozen in other cells requiring much less energy. Mitochondria are the principal source of cellular energy, generating the pulse of life throughout the entire body. They have been referred to as the cellular batteries which provide the energy, physical strength, and stamina needed for our daily activities. Even a subtle drop in the energy output of mitochondria can leave both the body and mental functioning weakened and fatigued. Read more >>>
FREE RADICAL OXIDATION:
Killing Us Slowly, One Cell at a Time
The human body is intricately composed of some 100 trillion individual basic living unit—the cells. Each cell functions as a tiny biological factory contributing to the overall functioning of the body. Cells are diverse and highly complex structures which differ in their physical characteristics and internal composition in relation to the various functions they perform. Healthy cells extract and convert energy from their environments and are thus empowered to maintain themselves, grow, reproduce and perform their vital functions. All of the body’s healthy cells work in harmony to perform the complex and intricate symphony we know as life itself. Read more >>>
PERIODIC STRESS:
Even If You Win the Rat Race, You’re Still a Rat
Make no mistake about it, we live in a stressful world. Whether it be money, relationships, sickness, war, or the plethora of other potential stress triggers, modern man is more stressed-out than ever before. In the U.S., over $300 billion annually, or about $7,500 per employee, is spent on stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity, absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses, and employee turnover. It is predicted that stress-related factors will be the leading occupation-related ailment of the 21st Century—responsible for more work days lost than any other single factor.[1] Read more >>>
ACCUMULATION of ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS:
The Other Face of Progress
While the human being once foraged for his daily bread, the Domestication Revolution slowly ushered in the first dramatic transformation of human societies. Once a hunter and gatherer spending most of a typical day in search of the next meal, man’s control over plants and animals for use as a food source forever changed the landscape of human civilization. Over the past several hundred years, many other revolutionary forces helped shape our modern world. The Scientific Revolution in all its many and varied aspects has transformed man from a campfire-building, spear-making animal into a space traveling being—all within a short number of years, all in the name of “progress.” Read more >>>