Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Relationship between nutrition and aging
Importance of nutrition in the life span
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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.
Keywords: Centenarians, physiology, immune system, nutrition, genetics, longevity
Centenarians are currently at the maximum peak of life longevity in the history of human life. Through the ages, the centenarian population worldwide has increased significantly. In the United States, there are currently 22 centenarians per 100,000 U.S. citizens, and rising (Hausman, 2011, p. 203-209). By 2050, there will be approximately 3.2 million centenarians around the world (Hausman, 2011, p. 203-209). With the increasing numbers, how is this achievable? Research and studies seek to find universal answers in the physiological, genetic and he...
... middle of paper ...
...une system in extreme longevity. Experimental Gerontology, 43(2), 61-65.
Stathakos, D. (2005). Greek centenarians: Assessment of functional health status and life-style characteristics. Experimental Gerontology, 40(6), 512-518.
Terry, D. (2008). Association of longer telomeres with better health in centenarians. The Journals of Gerontology.Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 63(8), 809-812.
Toft, A. D. (1994). If I should live to be a hundred . . . The Lancet, 343, 434.
Willcox,D C r a i g. (2008). Life at the extreme limit: Phenotypic characteristics of supercentenarians in okinawa. The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 63(11), 1201-1208.
Wojda, A. (2007). Effects of age and gender on micronucleus and chromosome nondisjunction frequencies in centenarians and younger subjects. Mutagenesis, 22(3), 195-200.
The concept of successful aging is also termed as super aging or optimal health, coined by Rowe & Kahn in 1987. Fundamentally, successful aging in the elderly illustrates neither usual aging (a gradual decrease in biological and psychological functioning) nor pathological aging. Instead, it illustrates a form of aging connected to a reduced possibility of disability or disease, increased physical and cognitive functioning, including autonomy maintained. Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence; most people over the age of 65 are not senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994).
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.
An individual’s personality and character structure portrays a major reflection of how they age. Personality style and character structure both incorporate the conscious and unconscious motivational, cognitive and affective mental states, as well as defense mechanisms (Silver 1992). Biopsychosocial factors-broken down into biological, psychological, and sociocultural-also play a huge role in personality and aging (Notes 10/08). Some examples of biological factors are health, genetics, and physiological function. Thoughts, feelings, and emotions would be considered psychological factors. Sociocultural factors include family, religion and community. Additionally, people endure unique experiences and circumstances throughout their life course,
Many issues, both genetic and environmental, affect how we age. A 2014 Census Bureau report, “65+ in the United States: 2010,” present some statistics regarding people over 65 years old in the United States. Laura Skarnulis publishes her study titled “7 Health Challenges Of Aging” where she explains seven of the most common heath issues senior citizens face. Obesity, arthritis, osteoporosis and cancer are among the most common challenges senior citizens have to face. Skarnulis mentions that we should take care of ourselves while we are young. Some of these health issues can be prevented if the respective precautions are taken on
At this stage of the aging individual’s life it should be noteworthy and documented. The
Oeseburg, H., de Boer, R.,A., van Gilst, W.,H., & van, d. H. (2010). Telomere biology in healthy aging and disease. Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology, 459(2), 259-68. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00424-009-0728-1
The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that health conditions associated with the ageing process are arthritis, stroke, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. These health concerns can be avoided...
Many do not like to talk about their age and their aging process, because to some, chronological aging has much more meaning than just the number of years that they have lived (Hooyman et al., 2015). Age really is just a number. There are centenarians and super-centenarians, like Flossie Dickey, who are still going strong at and living their daily lives with minimal restrictions (Hooyman et al., 2015), and people who struggle at the age of 80, it is all about aging successfully (Hooyman et al., 2015). What it means to age in society is a constantly changing concept, and now that the baby-boomers are starting to reach their older adult stages, maximum life spans are continuing to rise (Hooyman et al., 2015), and we see more centenarians and super-centenarians and skipped generation households (Hooyman et al.,
Studies about aging are relevant in today’s society because the aging process happens to everybody. Humans want to enjoy life with their family and friends and many look forward to their retirement so they can enjoy their time doing leisurely activities. Research on trying to find a cure for different cancers and slowing down the aging process is important if humans want to live a longer and more enjoyable life. By eating foods with antioxidants, exercising on a daily basis, challenging oneself with memory and critical thinking activities, avoiding smoking and drinking too much alcohol, managing stress, and by surrounding oneself with a good support system can all contribute to a longer and happier lifespan.
I was surprised to learn that successful aging is a combination of physical and functional health, high cognitive functioning, and active involvement with society. It was interesting to learn that these factors could lead to a lower risk of disease and disability. As
SÍTAR, M.E., YANAR, K., AYDIN, S. and ÇAKATAY, U., CURRENT ASPECTS OF AGEING THEORIES AND CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO MECHANISMS. .
Keevil, F, Stephen.. "Physics and Medicine 1: Physics and medicine: a historical perspective." Lancet 9825(2012):1517. eLibrary. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Active ageing does not stop when elderly people retire, as they can remain active through their families, peers and communities. Active ageing aims to allow elderly people to realise and bring awareness to their own psychological, physical and mental well-being. As the goal of active ageing is the autonomy and independence of elderly people (Alexandre, Cordeiro, & Ramos, 2009). Ageing is a continuing life cycle, it is an ongoing developmental event that brings about certain changes in one’s own psychological and physical state. It is a time in one's own life where an elderly individual reminisces and reflects, basks and lives on previous accomplishments and begins to finish his life cycle.
As American society has evolved in the past 100 years and technology has increased and improved, so has the life expectancy for individuals. Currently, females can expect to live for 81 years on average, while males can expect to live for 75 years, giving an average life expectancy of 78.3 years (Santrock, 2013, p.536). According to Santrock (2013), “since 1900, improvements in medicine, nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle have increased our life expectancy an average of 30 additional years,” but another important factor is the decreasing infant mortality, allowing a larger population of people, including older adults (p.536). Making good choices in diet, regular exercise, avoiding drugs and alcohol, along with getting enough sleep and maintaining a low and healthy stress level can all increase life expectancy. Relationships, emotional well-being, and having purpose all also play an important role in determining how long an individual will live. As people are living longer, more ...
Strawbridge, W. J., Wallhagen, M. I., & Cohen, R. D. (2002). Successful aging and well-being: Self-rated compared with Rowe and Kahn. The Gerontologist, 42(6), 727–33.