Causes of Aging – Factors that Instigate the Aging Process
The rate at which people grow older is largely dependent on many factors. Some age slowly, gracefully, while others seem to be careening on a collision course with body breakdown a little too early in life.
Causes of Aging – the Inevitable Race to Wrinkles
As you age your body will begin breaking down in little or big ways much the same way an old car does. There are many factors, both based on decisions you’ve made and environmental agents, that help predetermine how and when you age. For instance, genetics play a role in the causes of aging. Consider your family history. If your grandparents lived long lives well into their eighties and nineties, then you may very well find yourself enjoying that same longevity of life. On the other hand, if some of your family members suffered deaths at the hands disorders such as heart disease then, unfortunately, without proper precautionary measures you may also find yourself a sufferer of that fate. It has been scientifically proven that the genetic make up of a person can give clues or determination as to how that person will age. However, a specimen that has been well maintained over its life span will tend to avoid even those negative genetic aging features to which he/she is predisposed. Your diet, fitness level, and avoidance of harmful substances such as drugs and alcohol over the course of your life can help to ensure that your latter years are healthier and more enjoyable, and that your lifespan is expanded to it’s farthest limitations. For this reason it’s extremely important to educate yourself on the causes of aging and what your part is in bettering your golden years, even long before they are upon you.
Ageing Process – the Beauty in the Breakdown
While there are many factors both environmentally and as a result of life choices that influence how and when you age, the ageing process itself can be attributed in large part to the life and death of the bodies’ cells. Throughout your life, the cells in some of your body’s systems will die. In your youth and young adulthood, these cells are able to reproduce and continue to thrive when needed or they are replaced by red or white blood cells in the case of cells that cannot reproduce. As one gets older, the cells eventually begin to die faster than they can be reproduced, causing a less favorable or efficient response to the wear and tear that the bodies experience. There are other factors to the ageing process of course such as those discussed previously; bad life choices, eating habits, and lack of excercise can all contribute to the ageing process.
Premature Aging – Senescing Ahead of Time
While there are many different symptoms and side effects of aging, most do not begin to experience the more severe ones until middle age and later. For those who have put a little more wear and tear on their bodies, however, this process can begin to take its toll much earlier than one’s peers experience. As previously discussed the causes of premature aging are varied and great. A large contributing factor is smoking, drinking, or using controlled substances in abundance. Also over-exposure to sunlight can cause the skin to age prematurely. Lack of excercise and poor diet can also contribute. But some other causes that are beyond one’s control include poorly or unhealed injuries, exposure to toxic chemicals, and allergies. In rare cases, genetic disorders such as Werner’s Syndrome, which drastically accelerates the aging process in it’s victims, are to blame. For the most part, however, taking care to live a healthy life with a good diet, plenty of exercise, and avoidance of harmful substances or environmental agents can help to ensure that you age just naturally, and with a little luck your genetics, intended; slow and gracefully.