The frequency of renewal of the human body. How often are the cells of your body renewed Complete renewal of cells in the human body

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It is known that the cells in our body are renewed. But how does this happen? And if cells are constantly renewed, then why does old age set in, and not eternal youth last?

Swedish neurologist Jonas Friesen found that every adult is on average fifteen and a half years old! But if many “parts” of our body are constantly renewed and, as a result, turn out to be much younger than their owner, then some questions arise. For example, why doesn't the skin remain smooth and pink all its life, like a baby's, if the top layer of skin is always two weeks old? If muscles are about 15 years old, then why is a 60-year-old woman not as flexible and mobile as a 15-year-old girl?

Friesen saw the answers to these questions in the DNA in mitochondria (this is part of every cell). She accumulates quickly various damages. This is why the skin ages over time: mutations in mitochondria lead to a deterioration in the quality of such an important component of the skin as collagen.

According to many psychologists, aging occurs due to the mental programs that have been embedded in us since childhood.

Here we will consider the timing of renewal of specific organs and tissues, which are shown in the figures. Although everything is written there in such detail that this comment may be unnecessary.

Renewal of organ cells

Brain

Brain cells live with a person throughout his life. But if the cells were renewed, the information that was embedded in them would go with them - our thoughts, emotions, memories, skills, experience.

An unhealthy lifestyle - smoking, drugs, alcohol - all this, to one degree or another, destroys the brain, killing some of the cells.

And yet, in two areas of the brain, cells are renewed.

One of them is the olfactory bulb, which is responsible for the perception of smells.

The second is the hippocampus, which controls the ability to absorb new information, in order to then transfer it to the “storage center”, as well as the ability to navigate in space.

Heart

It became known quite recently that heart cells also have the ability to renew. According to researchers, this only happens once or twice in a lifetime, so it is extremely important to preserve this organ.

Lungs

For each type of lung tissue, cell renewal occurs at different rates. For example, the air sacs that are located at the ends of the bronchi (alveoli) are reborn every 11 to 12 months.

But the cells located on the surface of the lungs are renewed every 14-21 days. This part respiratory organ takes on most of the harmful substances coming from the air we breathe.

Bad habits (primarily smoking), as well as a polluted atmosphere, slow down the renewal of the alveoli, destroy them and, in the worst case, can lead to emphysema.

Liver

The liver is the champion of regeneration among organs human body. Liver cells are renewed approximately every 150 days, that is, the liver is “born” again once every five months. It is able to recover completely, even if as a result of the operation a person has lost up to two-thirds of the organ.

This is the only such organ in our body.

Of course, such endurance of the liver is possible with your help to this organ: the liver does not like fatty, spicy, fried, smoked foods. In addition, her work is made very difficult by alcohol and most of medicines.

And if you don’t pay attention to this organ, it will cruelly take revenge on its owner with terrible diseases - cirrhosis or cancer. (By the way, if you stop drinking alcohol for eight weeks, the liver can completely cleanse itself).

Intestines

The walls of the intestine are covered from the inside with tiny villi that ensure absorption nutrients. But they are under constant influence of gastric juice, which dissolves food, so they do not live long. The time frame for their renewal is three to five days.

Skeleton

The bones of the skeleton are renewed continuously, that is, at any given moment in the same bone there are both old and new cells. It takes about ten years to completely renew the skeleton.

This process slows down with age, when bones become thinner and more fragile.

Renewal of body tissue cells

Hair

Hair grows on average one centimeter per month, but hair can completely change in a few years, depending on the length. For women, this process takes up to six years, for men – up to three.

Eyebrow and eyelash hairs grow back in six to eight weeks.

Eyes

In such a very important and fragile organ as the eye, only corneal cells are capable of renewal. Its top layer is replaced every 7 to 10 days. If the cornea is damaged, the process occurs even faster - it can recover within a day.

Language

10,000 receptors are located on the surface of the tongue. They are able to distinguish the tastes of food: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty. The cells of the tongue are quite short life cycle- ten days.

Smoking and oral infections weaken and inhibit this ability, and also reduce the sensitivity of taste buds.

Leather

The surface layer of skin is renewed every two to four weeks. But only if the skin is provided with proper care and does not receive excess ultraviolet radiation.

Smoking also has a negative effect on the skin - this bad habit accelerates skin aging by two to four years.

Nails

Most famous example organ renewal - nails. They grow 3–4 mm every month. But this is on the hands; on the toes, nails grow twice as slow.

It takes an average of six months for a fingernail to be completely renewed, and ten for a toe nail.

Moreover, nails on the little fingers grow much slower than others, and the reason for this still remains a mystery to doctors.

The use of medications slows down the restoration of cells throughout the body!

Now do you understand what affects the renewal of body cells?

Draw your conclusions!

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The old myth about 10% of the brain

Or the truth about the contents of the skull and simple ways its upgrade

People are accustomed to believing that somewhere in the unknown depths of the human body there are hidden superpowers that nature reveals only to a select few. In reality, everything is much more prosaic: focused efforts and victory over laziness open up a limitless path to self-improvement. Yes, it’s still not too late to realize the potential of not only your child, but also your own brain resources.

Our body is magnificent and ingenious. All we need is not to interfere with his work. And of course, don’t feed him any poisonous crap.

By giving up poisons and starting to eat healthy foods, after some time we will get completely healthy body, unless, of course, you had some very serious illnesses before. But my favorite scientists say that even serious illnesses can be significantly alleviated and cured over time by switching to proper nutrition.

So that's what I'm getting at.

All the cells of our body are constantly renewed, and we have, with some periodicity (each organ has its own period), completely new organs.

Leather: fastest to update outer layer skin in contact with environment. Epidermal cells are renewed every 2-3 weeks. The deeper layers are a little slower, but on average, the full cycle of skin renewal occurs in 60-80 days. By the way, interesting information: Every year the body produces about two billion new skin cells.

But then the question arises, why do one year old child and a sixty-year-old person's skin looks completely different. There is a lot that has not been studied in our body, but for now it is believed that the skin ages due to the deterioration (over the years) of collagen production and renewal, which is still under study.

On this moment It has only been established that such factors as incorrect and poor (lack of fat and lack of proteins) nutrition, as well as too aggressive environmental influences, are very significant.

They impair the production and quality of collagen. An excess of ultraviolet radiation also negatively affects skin regeneration. But, 20-30 minutes in the sun is considered a therapeutic dose, which has a beneficial effect on many processes in the body, including skin renewal.

The epithelial cells covering the stomach and intestines come into contact with the most aggressive environment ( gastric juices and enzymes that process food) and become thinner as food constantly passes through them. They are updated every 3-5 days!

The structure of the tongue mucosa is very complex, and we will not go into details. Update rate various cells The components of the mucous membrane of the tongue (receptors) are different. Simplified we can say that the renewal cycle of these cells is 10-14 days.

Blood- a liquid on which our whole life depends. Every day, about half a trillion different blood cells die in the average person's body. They must die in time for new ones to be born. In organism healthy person the number of dead cells is equal to the number of newborns. Complete blood renewal occurs within 120-150 days.

Bronchi and lungs They also come into contact with an aggressive environment, so they renew their cells relatively quickly. The outer cells of the lungs, which are the first layer of defense against aggressors, are renewed in 2-3 weeks. The remaining cells, depending on their functions, are updated at different rates. But in general, the body needs a little less than a year to completely renew the lung tissue.

Alveoli of the bronchi updated every 11-12 months.

Hair grow on average 1-2 cm per month. That is, after some time we have completely new hair, depending on the length.

The life cycle of eyelashes and eyebrows is 3-6 months.

Nails on the fingers grow at a rate of 3-4 mm per month, the cycle of complete renewal is 6 months. Toenails grow at a rate of 1-2 mm per month.

Liver, truly the most magical organ in our body. Not only does he spend his entire life cleansing us of all the garbage that we put into our bodies, but she is also a champion of regeneration. It has been established that even with the loss of 75% of its cells (in the case of surgical intervention), the liver is able to recover completely, and after 2-4 months we have its full volume.

Moreover, at the age of 30-40, it regenerates the volume even with interest - by 113%. With age, liver recovery occurs only by 90-95%.

Complete renewal of liver cells occurs in 150-180 days. It has also been established that if you completely abandon toxic products (chemicals, medications, fried foods, sugar and alcohol), the liver is independently and completely (!) cleansed of harmful consequences in 6-8 weeks.

Our health largely depends on the health of our liver. But even such a hardy organ as the liver, we (with effort) can kill. A large number of sugar or alcohol can cause irreversible consequences in the liver in the form of cirrhosis.

Kidney and spleen cells updated every 300-500 days.

Skeleton Our body produces hundreds of millions of new cells every day. It constantly regenerates, and in its structure it has both old and new cells. But complete cellular renewal of the bone structure occurs within 7-10 years. With significant imbalances in nutrition, much fewer cells are produced and of poorer quality, and as a result, over the years, we have such a problem as osteoporosis.

Cells of all types of muscle tissue completely updated in 15-16 years.

Heart, eyes and brain are still the least studied by scientists.

Very for a long time It was believed that the heart muscles do not renew themselves (unlike all other muscle tissue), but recent discoveries have shown that this is a misconception, and the heart muscle tissue is renewed in the same way as other muscles.

The studies have only just begun, but according to preliminary data it is known that complete renewal of heart muscles occurs approximately (there are no exact data yet) within 20 years. That is, 3-4 times in an average life.

It is still a mystery that lens of the eye is not updated at all, or rather, why is the lens not updated. Only the cells of the cornea of the eye are restored and renewed. The update cycle is quite fast - 7-10 days. If damaged, the cornea can recover in just a day.

However, this does not change the fact that the lens cells are never renewed at all! The central part of the lens is formed in the sixth week intrauterine development fetus And for the rest of your life, new cells “grow” to the central part of the lens, which makes it thicker and less flexible, worsening the quality of focusing over the years.

Brain- that’s the riddle of riddles...

The brain is the most poorly understood organ of our body. Of course, this is associated with a number of objective factors. The brain of a living person is very difficult to study without causing harm to it. Experiments on humans are prohibited in our country (according to at least, officially). Therefore, research is carried out on animals and terminally ill human volunteers, which is not at all equivalent to a healthy, normally functioning person.

Until recently, it was believed that brain cells never renew themselves. In principle, things are still there. The brain that controls everything we do the most complex system called the organism, the brain, which gives signals for regeneration to all our organs, does not itself renew itself at all... Hmm.

Back in the 60s of the last century, Joseph Altman discovered neurogenesis (the birth of new neurons) in the thalamus and cerebral cortex. The scientific world, as usual, was very skeptical about this discovery and forgot about it. In the mid-80s, this discovery was “rediscovered” by another scientist, Fernando Notteboom. And again silence.

But since the late 90s of the last century, full-scale studies of our brains finally began.

Currently (during latest research) several discoveries have been made. It has already been reliably established that the hippocampus and olfactory bulb still regularly renew their cells. In birds, lower vertebrates and mammals, the rate of formation of new neurons is quite high. In adult rats, approximately 250,000 new neurons are formed and replaced within a month (this is approximately 3% of the total).

The human body also renews the cells of these parts of the brain. It has also been established that the more active the physical and brain activity, the more actively new neurons are formed in these areas. But it is still under study. We're waiting...

Over the past 20 years, science has made huge strides in studying our diet and how our health depends on it. We finally found out that a big role in the correct Proper nutrition plays a vital role in the functioning of organs. It has been reliably clarified what we need to eat and what we shouldn’t eat if we want to be healthy. But in general? What is the overall result? But it turns out that “in detail” we are updated without stopping, throughout our lives. So what makes us get sick, grow old and die?

We fly into space, think about conquering and colonizing other planets. But at the same time we know so little about our body. Scientists, both in ancient times and in modern times, have absolutely no idea why, with such a huge capacity for renewal, we grow old. Why wrinkles appear and muscle condition deteriorates. Why do we lose flexibility and our bones become brittle? Why are we going deaf and stupid... No one can still say anything intelligible.

Some say that aging is in our DNA, but this theory has no evidence to support it.

Others believe that aging is inherent in our brain and psychology, that we, as it were, force ourselves to grow old and die. That aging programs are embedded in our subconscious. Also just a theory without any evidence or confirmation.

Still others (very recent theories) believe that this occurs due to the “accumulation” of certain mutations and damage in mitochondrial DNA. But they don’t know why the accumulation of these damages and mutations occurs.

That is, it turns out that, contrary to the theory of evolution of comrade Darwin, cells, renewing themselves again and again, renew a deteriorated version of themselves, instead of an improved one. A bit strange...

Optimistic “alchemists” believe that we are endowed with the elixir of youth from birth, and there is no need to look for it outside. It is within us. You just need to choose the right keys to our body and learn to use your brain correctly and fully.

And then our body will be, if not immortal, then very, very long-lived!

Let's feed our body right. We will help it a little, or rather, we will not interfere with it with all sorts of poisons, and in return it will thank us with good work and a long, HEALTHY life! published

Yul Ivanchey

P.S. And remember, just by changing your consumption, we are changing the world together! © econet

Can we adults consciously grow new neurons in our brains? It sounds fantastic, but neurologist Sandrine Thuret says it's possible.

Referring to the most advanced Scientific research in neuroscience, she gives practical advice on how we can improve our mood, memory and prevent brain aging.

In short, the point is that our brain is constantly renewing itself, building new cells instead of dying ones. And we can influence the rate at which neurogenesis occurs.

Here are the main thoughts and takeaways from the TED platform.

For a long time, scientists studying the brain and nervous system people were convinced that " nerve cells are not restored"But, as it turns out, they are not only restored. All adult brain cells are constantly renewed! The process has taken its toll scientific name: neurogenesis.

Until recently, this was hard to believe, but now neurologists know: The adult brain can generate new nerve cells. The process of updating them occurs especially quickly in hippocampus, which plays a critical role in things like memory, mood and emotions. Jonas Friesen from the Karolinska Institute calculated that we produce 700 new neurons for the hippocampus every day.

This may not seem like much compared to the billions of cells that make up the brain. But by the time we become 50 , there will not be a single cell left in our brain from among those with which we were born! In other words, in 50 years the brain reproduces itself entirely!

So what?

Firstly, scientists know that it is very important for learning and memory. Every time you learn something new, your brain wonders where to place it. To do this, it needs new neurons. If they are not there, the information will simply “disappear” from your head. Your ability to navigate in space and mentally lay out complex routes in your head will suffer more than others.

Second, neurogenesis is critical for quality memory. The more “free” cells you have, the more details about the event your head remembers.

Thirdly, this process has direct impact on your mood. Slowing neurogenesis is one of the main causes of depression. You can start taking antidepressants, but this will not speed up the formation of new neurons. Moreover, drugs may lose their effectiveness if neurogenesis stops.

The next question is: can we control neurogenesis? Answer: yes.

One of the main studies on this topic was conducted by specialists from the Salk Institute. They proved that the rate of formation of new neurons yours is of paramount importance physical activity . Experiments on laboratory rats showed that those that were in an empty cage had brain renewal slower than those animals that ran inside a “wheel.”

Secondly, what you eat matters a lot.

Research shows that Calorie restrictions accelerate neurogenesis by 20-30%. In general, calculate how much you need for your height and weight, and do not exceed the serving size.

The process of formation of new cells in the brain also accelerates in cases where we we often have snacks. Reduce the intervals between meals!

To speed up neurogenesis you can also increase flavonoid intake(found in dark chocolate and blueberries) and fatty acid Omega-3 (salmon and other fatty fish). On the contrary, a diet with high content saturated fat will have negative influence on neurogenesis.

Ethanol- alcohol contained in all alcoholic drinks, - also slows down neurogenesis. An exception can be made for wine: It contains resveratrol, which promotes the survival of new neurons. So next time you're at a dinner party, stick to this "neutral" option.

And the last point regarding food.

Japanese research on this topic has shown that soft foods that are easy to chew reduce the rate of new cell formation. Your brain needs crunchy food which takes a long time to chew!

Scientists made all these conclusions based on their studies on laboratory animals. They found out that Diet actually modulates mood and memory. Restricting calorie intake increases memory capacity, while a high-fat diet inevitably leads to worsening symptoms of depression. So pay attention to the caloric content and texture of the food you are about to eat.

— In our body there are short-lived cells that are quickly renewed, and there are long-lived cells that are not replaced at all. It turns out to be a very wide range: some last a lifetime, others only for a couple of days, a week or several months. We are investigating the reasons that determine such a difference in the lifespan of cells, namely, genes, the work of which can increase or shorten the period of a cell’s existence,” says Professor of Harvard Medical School and Moscow State University. Lomonosov, head of laboratories for research in the field of aging Vadim Gladyshev. The scientist reported on the results obtained at a recent international conference “Ways to achieve active longevity” in Kazan, which brought together leading researchers from all over the world.

Gladyshev's Harvard team studied data on 20 types of human cells and found out: the expression (that is, the activity of work) of which genes corresponds to a long life of cells inside the body and which to a shorter life span. “We built patterns and called this model longevity signature (“longevity key.”) Auto.), explains the professor. “This algorithm allows you to see which genes need to be activated in order for cells to live longer. The next stage is the selection of conditions, substances that will change the work of the necessary genes in the required direction, that is, to prolong the life of the cell (so that, of course, it remains healthy and does not degenerate into a tumor cell. - Author).” In fact, we are talking about testing potential geroprotectors, that is, compounds, drugs that can slow down aging and prolong a person’s life, experts explain.

— By the way, in the course of such “gene testing” an important circumstance may be revealed: the same “anti-aging” compound will turn out to be useful in terms of longevity for one organ/cell type of a person and at the same time useless, or even harmful, for other cells (that is will not prolong, but even shorten their lives. Auto.), notes the scientist. - This could mean that similar drugs“for old age” it will not be possible to take them in the form of tablets or inject them into the blood so that they do not get into all organs.

— Maybe it will be possible to use a method that is now used to treat certain types of cancer - injections targeted at a specific place, specific body?

— Yes, theoretically this is one of the possible approaches.

ONCE AND FOR LIFE

On the Internet you can find many texts and colorful videos assuring that our body is “completely renewed in 7 to 10 years.” This is complete nonsense, Professor Gladyshev shakes his head. At a minimum, because the cells of our most important organs - the control center of the entire body, that is, the brain, and the main motor, that is, the heart - are practically not renewed at all. “Neurons (nerve cells of the brain) arise during embryonic development, and by the 4th to 5th month of a woman’s pregnancy, the majority of these cells have formed in the unborn baby,” explains the scientist. “After birth and until the end of a person’s life, neurons mostly just die.” Alas, new nerve cells in the brain, according to the latest scientific data, appear during life in microscopic quantities.

In a word, biology-anatomy-medicine took a turn in a spiral, and after in-depth research using the latest methods returned to the thesis that nerve cells practically do not recover. This means that they need to be carefully protected.

THIS WILL BE USEFUL

How to extend the life of nerve cells

1. More oxygen!

For good nutrition brain cells need a full flow of oxygen. Aerobic physical exercise helps improve it, the safest of which, for any state of health and age, is walking at a brisk pace: as quickly as possible without shortness of breath.

2. Less sweets

You, of course, remember from childhood that brain cells need glucose, but if you often feed your neurons with pure sugar from sweets and cookies, then unfavorable processes will begin that damage blood vessels in the brain. It is much safer and more beneficial to provide the brain with glucose, which is formed during the absorption of slow (complex) carbohydrates, that is: minimally processed cereals (monastic oatmeal, dark rice); wholemeal bread and pasta; vegetables Confectionery It is advisable to replace it with fruit.

3. No sleep deprivation

I don’t want to add stress to you, but it has been proven that with a lack of sleep, the production of substances increases, the accumulation of which can cause inflammation and subsequent death of neurons. And during good sleep On the contrary, the brain is most actively cleared of accumulated garbage. The most valuable in terms of “cleansing” is the deep phase slow sleep, it accounts for 15 - 20% of the total duration of your sleep, and ideally it should be at least 1.5 - 2 hours.

EGGS: THE CLOCK IS STILL TICKING

Like neurons, eggs are given to a woman once and for life. This means that due to natural monthly losses, the supply of female germ cells is depleted and completely depleted on average by the age of 40 to 55 years. For those who are planning to have children, but for some reason are delaying pregnancy, modern medicine suggests freezing eggs and storing them in a cryobank (in Moscow, the cost of the procedures necessary to collect female germ cells and place them in storage can reach 170-175 thousand rubles, plus about 15-17 thousand rubles per year for storage in a cryobank itself).

Another type of important and, alas, non-renewable cells is cardiomyocytes, or cells of the heart muscle (myocardium). Like neurons, they can be replenished a little at a time throughout life, but the number of newly emerging cardiomyocytes is so small that there is no need to talk seriously about heart renewal, explains Vadim Gladyshev. And this is another reason to take great care of the health of your “engine”.

DO THIS

To make the heart long-lived

Cardiologist, candidate medical sciences, Chief Therapist at Ilyinskaya Hospital Yaroslav Ashikhmin advises:

- Control your arterial pressure(BP): outside physical activity it should always be below 130 (“upper”) and 85 (“lower”) mmHg. If the blood pressure numbers jump above 140 and 90 mm Hg. - urgently make an appointment with a therapist or cardiologist.

- Get rid of excess weight. For a healthy heart normal indicator body mass index (BMI) is considered a figure up to 25. To calculate BMI, square your height (in meters), then divide your weight (in kg) by the resulting number.

— Quit smoking and don’t abuse alcohol. In the absence of contraindications (digestive diseases, pregnancy, etc.), 1 glass of dry wine per day no more than 5 times a week for women and up to 2 glasses per day no more than 5 times a week for men is considered relatively safe.

— Try to move as much as possible: according to the latest international recommendations for heart and vascular health, at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity (30 minutes 5 days a week) or at least 75 minutes of high-intensity physical activity (15 minutes a day 5 days a week) is required weekly ).

DOES SKIN CHANGE EASILY ONCE A MONTH? DON'T CONCERN YOURSELF

Most of the other cells in our body, some faster, some slower, are renewed in one way or another. Eg, fat cells live 7.5 - 8 years, liver cells, hepatocytes on average 327 days, epithelial cells (inner lining of the intestine) 2 - 4 days, skin cells 10 - 30 days, and the lifespan of a sperm is 2 months.

However, even here, not everything is as simple as the authors of numerous pictures and videos on the Internet make it out to be, warns Professor Gladyshev. Do not delude yourself that your liver is completely renewed every year, and all your skin easily changes once a month.

— They often simplify everything, but in life a lot happens differently: let’s say, some cells are biologically capable of renewing themselves, but in fact such a cell lives in its own organ and, if removed, it will be replaced by another cell even within a day, and if left undisturbed - can sit for 10 years and not change. It also happens that the same type of cells in one place of the body has completely changed over a period of time, but in another place it lives as if nothing had happened. What factors influence this remains largely a mystery of the body’s internal self-regulation.

PROJECT “MUSCLE PHANTOM”

— There are two known ways of cell renewal. The first is division, after which the mother cell dies and is replaced by a new, daughter cell. The second way is the transformation of stem (universal - author) cells into cells of certain tissues and organs, explains a participant in the conference “Ways to achieve active longevity”, leading researcher at the RIKEN Institute (Japan), head of the Kazansky laboratory federal university(KFU), candidate of sciences, geneticist Oleg Gusev. - Our muscles and other organs are surrounded by pools (clusters) of stem cells, which “turn” into specialized cells when required.

Over time, the reserves of stem cells in the body are depleted, dividing cells gradually degrade ( see further “Point-by-point question”).

— Due to these and other reasons, sarcopenia develops with age, that is, loss of muscle mass, which leads to a deterioration in the quality of life: a person becomes weaker, moves worse, and the risk of falls, bruises, and fractures increases. To save people from such problems, to actually rejuvenate muscles, we are launching a large-scale international project Japanese Institute RIKEN, Kazan Federal University and the Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Muscle Phantom”. Moreover, it is planned that Russia will play the leading role in research.

THE MYSTERY OF THE FACIAL MUSCLES

— What exactly will scientists do?

— First of all, we will analyze the variety of muscles. It is believed that humans have only three types of muscles: cardiac (myocardium), smooth muscles and skeletal muscles. But there are more than 600 skeletal muscles alone! To this day it is not known what makes them similar and diverse. Apparently, there is some special genetic program: despite the fact that they are all basically skeletal muscles, they have their own components that determine what kind of species they become.

- Why is this so important to find out?

- Remember, the famous one died recently scientist Stephen Hawking? He had a severe stage of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( hereditary disease nervous system, which is accompanied by muscle atrophy. — Author). It is amazing that even with complete paralysis, Hawking retained his facial expressions. But the disease is hereditary, which means that the mutation is the same in all cells of the body. However, as it turned out, not all types of muscles undergo dystrophy (wasting) with age - whether in cases of illness, like Stephen’s, or in healthy older people. In particular, it turned out that the eye muscles and facial muscles are the most stable in humans. And now it is important to understand why, for example, the muscles of the limbs become the first victims of dystrophy (with age or during illness - author), while other types of muscles do not. What's so special about them? If this is found out, then there are prospects for using gene therapy to return aging muscles to good condition. This is the goal of our project.

Comparing the results of studies in primates and humans, in different muscles and in at different ages, researchers plan to create the largest atlas of work different types muscles. And calculate the factors that influence muscle changes and super stability.

ASKING QUESTION

Why do we grow old when we renew ourselves?

“Firstly, the reserves of stem cells are depleted, and secondly, it is important to understand that cell division does not pass without a trace,” explains geneticist Oleg Gusev.- In any case, division leads to the accumulation of errors and mutations. The parent cell passes on DNA with some defects to the child cell. In addition to genes, part of the biological material from the mother cell also enters the daughter cell, for example, fragments of old proteins and other unfavorable inheritance. So the new cells are already a little “old”, and each subsequent one is conditionally partially worse than the previous one, especially as a person’s age increases.

“Of course, our body has reparation tools, that is, correcting damage that occurs in the DNA of mother and daughter cells,” adds biologist Vadim Gladyshev.“However, the older the body, the slower and worse the repair mechanisms work, and more and more defects accumulate. The process of accumulation of such unfavorable changes is aging, and its external manifestations- decrepitude and diseases that develop with age. However, biologically we have no obstacles that would prevent us from intervening in the aging conveyor and slowing it down - just as we have already learned to slow down and cure many serious diseases.

The author of the article thanks the co-chairman of the organizing committee of the international conference “Ways to achieve active longevity” for his assistance. Fania Maganova And scientific supervisor conference, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexey Moskalev.

I always say that our body is magnificent and ingenious. All we need is not to interfere with his work. And of course, don’t feed him any poisonous crap.

By giving up poisons and starting to eat healthy food, after some time we will get a completely healthy body, unless, of course, we have had some very serious diseases before. But my favorite scientists say that even serious diseases can be significantly alleviated and cured over time by switching to proper nutrition.

So that's what I'm getting at.

All the cells of our body are constantly renewed, and we have, with some periodicity (each organ has its own period), completely new organs.

Leather: The outer layer of skin in contact with the environment renews itself the fastest. Epidermal cells are renewed every 2-3 weeks. The deeper layers are a little slower, but on average, the full cycle of skin renewal occurs in 60-80 days. By the way, interesting information: the body produces about two billion new skin cells per year.

But then the question arises: why does the skin of a one-year-old child and a sixty-year-old person look completely different? There is a lot that has not been studied in our body, but for now it is believed that the skin ages due to the deterioration (over the years) of collagen production and renewal, which is still under study.

At the moment, it has only been established that factors such as incorrect and poor (lack of fat and lack of proteins) nutrition, as well as too aggressive environmental influences, are very significant.

The epithelial cells covering the stomach and intestines come into contact with the most aggressive environment (stomach juices and enzymes that process food) and become thinner as food constantly passes through them. They are updated every 3-5 days!

The structure of the tongue mucosa is very complex, and we will not go into details. The rate of renewal of the various cells that make up the mucous membrane of the tongue (receptors) is different. To put it simply, we can say that the renewal cycle of these cells is 10-14 days.

Blood- a liquid on which our whole life depends. Every day, about half a trillion different blood cells die in the average person's body. They must die in time for new ones to be born. In the body of a healthy person, the number of dead cells is equal to the number of newborns. Complete blood renewal occurs within 120-150 days.

Alveoli of the bronchi updated every 11-12 months.

Hair grow on average 1-2 cm per month. That is, after some time we have completely new hair, depending on the length.

The life cycle of eyelashes and eyebrows is 3-6 months.

Finger nails arms grow at a rate of 3-4 mm per month, the cycle of complete renewal is 6 months. Toenails grow at a rate of 1-2 mm per month.

Liver, truly the most magical organ in our body. Not only does he spend his entire life cleansing us of all the garbage that we put into our bodies, but she is also a champion of regeneration. It has been established that even with the loss of 75% of its cells (in the case of surgery), the liver is able to recover completely, and after 2-4 months we have its full volume.

Moreover, at the age of up to 30-40 years, it regenerates the volume even with interest - by 113%. With age, liver recovery occurs only by 90-95%.

Complete renewal of liver cells occurs in 150-180 days. It has also been established that if you completely abandon toxic foods (chemicals, medications, fried foods, sugar and alcohol), the liver will independently and completely (!) clear itself of harmful effects in 6-8 weeks.

Our health largely depends on the health of our liver. But even such a hardy organ as the liver, we (with effort) can kill. Large amounts of sugar or alcohol can cause irreversible consequences in the liver in the form of cirrhosis.

Kidney and spleen cells updated every 300-500 days.

Cells of all types of muscle tissue completely updated in 15-16 years.

Heart, eyes and brain are still the least studied by scientists.

For a very long time it was believed that the heart muscle does not renew itself (unlike all other muscle tissue), but recent discoveries have shown that this is a misconception, and the heart muscle tissue is renewed in the same way as other muscles.

However, this does not change the fact that the lens cells are never renewed at all! The central part of the lens is formed in the sixth week of fetal development. And for the rest of your life, new cells “grow” to the central part of the lens, which makes it thicker and less flexible, worsening the quality of focusing over the years.

Brain- that’s the riddle of riddles...

The brain is the most poorly understood organ of our body. Of course, this is associated with a number of objective factors. The brain of a living person is very difficult to study without causing harm to it. Experiments on people are prohibited in our country (at least officially). Therefore, research is carried out on animals and terminally ill human volunteers, which is not at all equivalent to a healthy, normally functioning person.

Until recently, it was believed that brain cells never renew themselves. In principle, things are still there. The brain, which controls our entire most complex system called the body, the brain, which gives signals for regeneration to all our organs, itself does not renew itself at all... Hmm.

But since the late 90s of the last century, full-scale studies of our brains finally began.

To date (during the latest research) several discoveries have been made. It has already been reliably established that the hippocampus and olfactory bulb still regularly renew their cells. In birds, lower vertebrates and mammals, the rate of formation of new neurons is quite high. In adult rats, approximately 250,000 new neurons are formed and replaced within a month (this is approximately 3% of the total).

Over the past 20 years, science has made huge strides in studying our diet and how our health depends on it. We finally found out that proper nutrition plays a big role in the proper functioning of organs. It has been reliably clarified what we need to eat and what we shouldn’t eat if we want to be healthy. But in general? What is the overall result? But it turns out that “in detail” we are updated without stopping, throughout our lives. So what makes us get sick, grow old and die?

Some say that aging is in our DNA, but this theory has no evidence to support it.

And then our body will be, if not immortal, then very, very long-lived!

Let's feed our body right. We will help it a little, or rather, we will not interfere with it with all sorts of poisons, and in return it will thank us with good work and a long, HEALTHY life!