As people age, there are many physical changes that can be observed as well as problems that begin to develop. Those big changes are the ones that people are most focused on, but here, the focus will be on what exactly the effects of aging are on the DNA itself. People are born with their set of DNA already put into place, it’s there. Aging however, plays a role in how some of those genes are expressed as well as aids in the function level of those genes.
Aging is inevitable, and with that, changes to the DNA and how things change in the way they work is also something that can’t be prevented. As people age, the number of damaged and unrepaired cells that have altered DNA accumulate, causing problems³. Because these damaged cells are accumulating, the aging person becomes more at risk for diseases like cancer, which cause even more mutated cells that can alter the DNA. As those cells take over more and more, they can take further control over the genetic sequences the person had to begin with. These changes leave the body in a more vulnerable state and then leave the aging person at an even higher risk for other diseases. This shows that although aging has effects on DNA, DNA also has huge effects on aging and the rate at which people age. Aging also has the effect of changing some of the gene expressions in DNA. The genome for any living thing is always unstable to an extent. This is how it will always be because it is so intricate and there are so many different sequences that one little change can make everything go wrong. As people age, the effect on the stability of the genome is that it makes the genome more unstable. Within the brain in particular, it has been noted that as people age, the function slows down which can c...
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...e very much focused on the phenotype, the physical expression of the genes rather than what it is that is causing those changes within the DNA. These physical changes all have a lot to do with the DNA and how the body is processing things and the level at which it is functioning. As we age, things start to die off and there is less of almost everything, people really kind of slow down in every aspect of the word. Aging, especially when entering those late years in life, causes a lot of vulnerability that can be dangerous for producing more mutations within the body cells. There are many changes that are taking place, such as DNA count in the mitochondria, different mutations that are building up, and other big risk factors that greatly effect a person. Things like stress and previously documented illnesses can speed up this process and also be harmful to the DNA.
Humans undergo several stages during their lifetime including growth, development, reproduction and senescence. Senescence is defined as the deteriorative biological changes that organisms experience as they age eventually leading to death. These changes include low metabolism, a weak immune system, memory loss, poor vision and loss of hearing. Senescence begins in humans during their post-reproductive years. However, gerontology research has shown that individuals who reproduce late have longer life spans compared to individuals who reproduce early. Nonetheless, it does not indicate that senescence is inevitable. All organisms experience senescence, but at different rates and time. Many genetic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease are prevalent in older individuals and the symptoms being to appear in middle adulthood. The causes of genetic diseases and disabilities in older individuals are explained by three evolutionary theories: antagonistic pleiotropy theory, mutation accumulation theory and disposable soma theory. These theories suggest that favorable natural selection and heavy allocation of resources for somatic maintenance during the reproductive period decreases the chances of genetic diseases in younger individuals.
A permanent change in the DNA sequence which makes up a gene is what is referred to as gene mutation (Mahoney & Springer 2009). It is believed that gene mutation occurs in two ways: that is, it can be acquired in personal lifetime or inherited from a parent. Those that are passed from parents to the child are referred to as hereditary mutation. They acquire the name since they are present in the eggs and sperms or the germ cell. In this case, such kind of mutation is present all through one’s life in almost every cell in the body. A similarity in mutation and gene diversity is the change in the DNA sequence which makes both mutation and genetic diversity have related issues.
Somatic evolution is the accumulation of all the mutations in the cells of an organism throughout a lifespan. Understanding somatic evolution plays an important role in the science of aging and gives insight into the development of cancer (Boland, 2005). “The somatic mutation theory of aging posits that the accumulation of mutations in the genetic material of somatic cells as a function of time results in a decrease in cellular function” (Kennedy, 2011). In other words, as organisms progress through life their cells will ultimately begin to deteriorate due to changes in their genetic material.
The older person that I interviewed was my great-grandfather, Kay Wilson. He is eighty-three years old and is currently retired, living at home. Wilson was born on February 27, 1934 and raised in Sylacauga, AL by his mother. His father was not active in his life, but his grandparents were his main caretakers growing up.
Aging is an inevitable process where we as living beings grow old. Aging has some benefits and may bring some problems too. There is a great variety of researches done with different purposes which provide us with some information and statistics.
In the 16th century, rumors of the Fountain of Youth had spread like wildfire. The thought of immortality, and everlasting youth had fascinated many old, and young adventurers. Most Eukaryotic organism cells are affected by a biological process known as aging. Effect of aging may include the advent of illness, disease, and ultimately death. Death, this fear of end existence had enthralled many people on the quest for prolonged longevity. Therefore, how do we extend our lifespan? Where is this “Fountain of Youth” ? Although the latter question may forever remain a lucrative theory. Perhaps the answer to prolonged longevity may reside on a little known region of a chromosomes, the telomeres.
You must have seen many people who seem older than their age. Barring a few exceptions, mostly the responsible factor behind aging is bad lifestyle. The way we live our life and are living has a direct impact on our mental and physical health. This poor lifestyle is causing premature aging. Aging is a normal process and it cannot be stopped. However problem occurs when a person aged 30 looks like 40, older than their age. Insomnia, high intake of fast food, irregular lifestyle sitting office jobs all these have
Aging occurs in every species. Over time a change occurs on a cellular level in a person’s body, which causes degenerative effects on the brain, muscles, organs, bones, hormones, and DNA. In 1991, the book Evolutionary Biology of Aging, offered the following definition of aging: a persistent decline in the age-specific fitness components of an organism due to internal physiological deterioration.1 Aging affects the body physically and mentally. Many people dread getting older due to the numerous changes the body goes through. The geriatric population experiences many pains and is inflicted with various diseases. There are a few who are lucky enough to not get diagnosed with a life altering disease, such as Alzheimer’s, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, macular degeneration, or some form of cancer. Studies have shown that genetics play a vital role in the aging process.
SÍTAR, M.E., YANAR, K., AYDIN, S. and ÇAKATAY, U., CURRENT ASPECTS OF AGEING THEORIES AND CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO MECHANISMS. .
The world is said to reach a population of 9.2 billion people in 2050. The economy of a country is affected in multiple ways; one of the factors affecting the progression of an economy is the life expectancy. In the past decade, the sizes of families are decreasing due to many reasons such as low fertility rates, economic reasons, high education, and etc. causing an increase in the elderly population. Over the years, the life expectancy is continuing to rise at a phenomenal rate as the technologies advance to protect myriads of lives. The increased ageing population has been putting constant pressure on the economies to provide for the sick and the unemployed. In turn, this hinders the progress of the economy. But on the contrary, the increase in older citizens in an economy has also benefitted t...
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
play a large part in our health and our developmental status. The role of age
When elderly people move into the last of life’s eight stages of psychosocial development, they enter the ego-integrity-versus-despair stage. This process is defined by looking back over someone’s life, evaluating it, then accepting it. People who become successful in this stage feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Erikson refers to this acceptance as integrity. This differs from generativity because one is accepting the end of their life, instead of accepting where their life will start in a sense of career and self. However, if one is to look back on their life with dissatisfaction, they may feel they have been cheated or missed opportunities. Such individuals will mostly be depressed or angry about the way life turned out and
Centenarian longevity is very much based on the internal physiological functioning and health input and output of these individuals. Physiological functioning including the immune system functioning has seen to be maintained and even increased for these longevous human beings. Neutrophilic functioning for fighting infection, and gluthathione and catalyst activity are also maintained through the century years. These results show high correlations between the levels of centenarians, and those of young adults. Genetic-wise, the longer the telomere, the longer the lifespan, due to cell division. Polymorphic genes regulate the immune system and other surrounding structures, maintaining its functions. Furthermore, health-conscious individuals are more likely to maintain a longer life, and reach the century age. This is due to maintenance of functioning by adapting healthy routines throughout their lifetime, even through old age. In conclusion, maintenance of the body and physiological aspects similar to young adults at old ages show a great increase in surviving and living beyond 100 years.
And genes for sure have strong meaning, but it is not a crucial fact, which made it impossible to change after 40s as author thinks. Our character is flexible and person can change own life in an opposite side at any age from changing appearance and way of lifestyle to work or living place. Everything just depend on the person’s efforts, his attitude to life and