A Theory For Why We Age!

[JHAQ]

Senescence & death are the price we pay for the ability to reproduce sexually .

[Mr Skeptic]

Senescence & death are the price we pay for the ability to reproduce sexually .

 

Not true. Yeast can reproduce sexually but I don't think they have senescence. I think aging is probably the price we pay for being mulitcellular.

[qwe)k]

Why, age is an illusion!!!!

[SkepticLance]

A clam has just been dredged up from 80 metre deep water off Iceland that had 405 annual growth rings. Over 400 years old!

 

What's 'e got that I aint?

[Mr Skeptic]

A clam has just been dredged up from 80 metre deep water off Iceland that had 405 annual growth rings. Over 400 years old!

 

What's 'e got that I aint?

 

Probably a very slow metabolism. It is unclear why metabolism affects aging, but if you keep yourself at the verge of starvation, you can live about 50% longer.

[SkepticLance]

To Mr. Skeptic

 

Perhaps I am being pedantic, but the starvation = longevity idea is still unproven in humans. It has been shown to be correct in a wide range of organisms, including at least one primate, but has not shown to be correct in humans, at least so far. The idea that we can live a long time by caloric restriction is deduction, not scientific 'proof'. OK, it is probably correct, but still not demonstrated in any scientific manner.

 

I am a bit sceptical about how far it will prove to be correct in our species, based on the fact that there are heaps of societies in which caloric restriction is the norm, due to poverty, and not one single society shown to have exceptional longevity. Indeed, most such societies have an average life span way below that of the obese West, due to that poverty.

 

While there are lots of good reasons why a poverty stricken society should have reduced average life span, it appears strange that, out of thousands, not a single one has been identified with average life span increased.

 

And please, do not quote me the many myths of long lived societies where, strangely, there is no documentary evidence of how long people live - just lots of claims of long life without evidence.

[Mr Skeptic]

To SkepticLance:

Yes, you are correct that caloric restriction is unproven in humans. I'd add that it is fairly worthless since you will have less "life" by any measure other than years. The reason I mentioned it is because it seems to be able to extend the maximum lifespan rather than the average lifespan as many other anti-aging ideas do.

 

I would think that the people who are too poor to eat properly are likely to also be suffering from increased vitamin/mineral deficiencies, increased exposure to pathogens, and decreased immune function (from the starving aspect), so I wouldn't expect them to live very long.

 

I'll take a few guesses why caloric restriction might increase lifespan:

Triggering genes for waiting out famines rather than other stuff like reproducing.

Reduced blood sugar would reduce linking of glucose with proteins (that is a big problem with diabetics)

Reduced metabolism would reduce production of free radicals at mitochrondria.

 

The reason I am so excited about anti-aging is that I think we might be able to figure it out before I die of old age.