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Old age. Aging

The time of onset of old age is conditional. Men and women aged 55-60 to 75 years old are considered elderly, from 75 years old - old, from 90 years old - centenarians. It is assumed that the species life expectancy of a person is 92-95 years.

One of the most important demographic features of the 20th century. consists in the progression of the aging of the population of many countries of the world, i.e. an increase in both the relative and absolute number of older people. The aging of the population has an impact on economic policy, the structure and functions of the family, and poses important challenges to public health.

Species and individual life expectancy is determined by the complex relationship between the aging process and the process aimed at maintaining the viability of the organism, increasing life expectancy, called "vitaukt" (lat. vita + auctus increase, increase).

All shifts in metabolic parameters and functions that develop with age belong to one of three types of changes: progressively decreasing (contractile heart, function of the digestive and a number of endocrine glands, etc.); not significantly changing (blood level, acid-base balance, etc.); progressively increasing (a number of enzymes, the content of cholesterol, lecithin, etc.) Significant age-related differences in the reliability of homeostasis are detected during functional loads. Therefore, an objective assessment of an aging organism can be obtained on the basis of not a static, but a dynamic characteristic using functional tests. Aging is characterized by heterochrony (difference in the time of onset of aging of individual organs and tissues), heterotopy (unequal severity of aging in different organs), heterokineticity (development of age-related changes at different rates), heterocatheterity (multidirectionality of age-related changes in cells and organs).

The different balance of aging and vitauct processes determines biological human, an objective measure of the degree of age-related changes. Despite the commonality of the fundamental mechanisms of aging, there are individual features of its course, various aging syndromes. There are syndromes of accelerated (premature) and delayed aging. Accelerated promotes early development age-related pathology, slow - longevity. With premature aging biological age exceeds the calendar. There are aging syndromes with predominant changes in various body systems - nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, etc. Determination of biological age, aging syndrome allows predicting changes in human health, the rate of aging, and recommending a system of specific preventive measures.

Modern theories of aging are largely based on the classical ideas of I.I. Mechnikova, I.P. Pavlova, A.A. Bogomolets, A.V. Nagorny, I.I. Schmalhausen. Ultimately, aging develops as a result of a violation of self-regulation mechanisms at different levels of the body's vital activity, which limits its adaptive capabilities. Violation of the regulation of the genome leads to a change in the ratio of synthesized proteins, limiting the potential of the protein-synthesizing system, and the appearance of previously unsynthesized proteins. All this affects the energy supply of the cell, causes a violation of its function, cell death. Age-related changes in the cells of the nervous and endocrine systems lead to a violation of neurohumoral regulation and, as a result, to a violation of homeostasis and tissue trophism.

Significant importance in the mechanism of aging is the weakening of nerve influences on cells, shifting their reactivity to biological action. active substances. This causes a change in the response of organs and systems to the action of drugs. With aging, the reliability of the most important protective systems of the body decreases - repair, antioxidants, immunity, microsomal oxidation, etc.

Aging of physiological systems.Nervous system. The most important manifestations of human aging are associated with age-related changes in the central nervous system. However, this often retains a high level of intellectual activity, the ability to generalize, to concentrate. In addition, long-term maintenance of intellectual activity is based on coping with a wide range of tasks based on rich life experience.

I.P. Pavlov and co-workers showed that the mobility of the processes of excitation and inhibition is weakened first of all, the strength of the nervous processes and the protective function of inhibition decrease, and it is more difficult to develop them.

With age, a redistribution of the volume of circulating blood is found in favor of the blood supply to vital organs, primarily the brain and heart. With aging, the contractility of the myocardium decreases, which is due to morphological changes (, focal atrophy of muscle fibers, an increase in the amount of low-elastic connective tissue), biochemical changes (decrease in energy and mineral metabolism), changes in regulation (decrease in the effectiveness of the Frank-Starling mechanism, deterioration of the chronoinotropic mechanism, decrease positive inotropic effect of endogenous catecholamines). As a result of increased myocardial stiffness, the process of diastolic relaxation is disrupted at rest, and especially in conditions of functional stress of the cardiovascular system. Due to the decrease in systolic and diastolic functions of the myocardium, the functional reserve of cardiac output is limited under stressful conditions.

For the elderly and old people, the normal sinus rhythm of the heart is normal. However, the heart rate decreases somewhat with age. The heart rate becomes less labile, which is associated with a weakening of nerve influences on, especially the parasympathetic division of the autonomic; nervous system. There is an age-related decrease in the automatism of the sinus node, the processes of repolarization and depolarization in the myocardium, some slowing down of intra-atrial, atrioventricular and intraventricular conduction, which predisposes to the development of cardiac arrhythmias and conduction.

With aging, the nature of the regulation of blood circulation changes. Reflex reactions of the cardiovascular system become more inert, which is associated with a weakening of the autonomic innervation of the heart and blood vessels. Against the background of a general decrease in autonomic tone, a relative predominance of sympathetic regulation of cardiac activity is formed. The sensitivity of the cardiovascular system to catecholamines (Catecholamines) and other humoral regulatory factors increases. The sensitivity of baroreceptors to changes in the level of blood pressure decreases. After stressful influences, there is a slow recovery of the parameters of the cardiovascular system up to baseline, which indicates the failure of the mechanisms of neurohumoral regulation. These changes in neurohumoral regulation reduce the adaptive capacity of an aging organism and contribute to the development of cardiovascular pathology.

Respiratory system. There are atrophic processes in the mucous membrane of the respiratory organs, dystrophic and fibrous-sclerotic changes in the cartilage of the tracheobronchial tree. The walls of the alveoli become thinner, their elasticity decreases, and the membrane thickens. The structure of the total lung capacity changes significantly: it decreases vital capacity, the residual volume increases. All this violates the pulmonary, reduces the efficiency of ventilation. characteristic feature age-related changes is the intense functioning of the respiratory system. This is reflected in an increase in the ventilation equivalent, a decrease in the oxygen utilization rate, an increase in the respiratory rate and the amplitude of respiratory fluctuations in transpulmonary pressure.

With age, the functionality of the respiratory system is limited. In this regard, the age-related decrease in maximum lung ventilation, maximum levels of transpulmonary pressure, and work of breathing are indicative. The maximum values ​​of ventilation indices in the elderly and old people clearly decrease under conditions of intense functioning during hypoxia, hypercapnia, and physical activity. Regarding the causes of these disorders, it should be noted changes in the musculoskeletal apparatus of the chest - Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, costal cartilages, degenerative-dystrophic changes in the costovertebral joints, atrophic and fibrous-dystrophic processes in the respiratory muscles. These shifts lead to a change in the shape of the chest and a decrease in its mobility.

One of the most important causes of age-related changes in pulmonary ventilation, its intense functioning is a violation of bronchial patency due to anatomical and functional changes in the bronchial tree (bronchial walls by lymphocytes and plasma cells, sclerosis of bronchial walls, the appearance of mucus in the lumen of the bronchi, deflated epithelium, deformation of the bronchi due to peribronchial proliferation of connective tissue). The deterioration of bronchial patency is also associated with a decrease in the elasticity of the lungs (the elastic recoil of the lungs decreases). An increase in the volume of the airways and, consequently, dead space with a corresponding decrease in the proportion of alveolar ventilation worsens the conditions for gas exchange in the lungs. A decrease in oxygen tension and an increase in carbon dioxide tension in arterial blood are characteristic, which is due to the growth of alveoloarterial gradients of these gases and reflects a violation pulmonary gas exchange at the stage - capillary. The causes of arterial hypoxemia during aging include uneven ventilation, mismatch between ventilation and blood flow in the lungs, an increase in anatomical shunting, a decrease in the diffusion surface with a decrease in the diffusion capacity of the lungs. Among these factors, the discrepancy between ventilation and lung perfusion is of decisive importance. Due to the weakening of the Hering-Breuer reflex, the reciprocal relationship between expiratory and inspiratory neurons is disrupted, which contributes to the increase in respiratory arrhythmias.

The resulting changes lead to a decrease in the adaptive capacity of the respiratory system, to the occurrence of hypoxia, which sharply increases in stressful situations, pathological processes of the external respiratory apparatus.

Digestive system. Atrophic changes in the masticatory muscles and salivary glands develop. A decrease in the secretion of saliva, its enzymatic activity, teeth, weakening of the chewing muscles worsen the mechanical processing of food in oral cavity, create unfavorable conditions for its digestion. Atrophy of the mucous membrane of the esophagus is observed, its muscles and the magnitude of intraesophageal pressure are reduced, weakened. Atrophic changes are found in the mucous and muscular membranes of the stomach. Sclerosis of arterial vessels, a decrease in the density of capillaries worsen the stomach. The nervous stomach undergoes destructive and degenerative changes. The secretory function of the stomach decreases: the amount of basal and stimulated gastric secretion, the production of hydrochloric acid, pepsin and gastromucoprotein decrease. The general tone of the stomach, its motor activity, the strength of contractions fall, the period of work is shortened. With age, the length of the intestine increases, the thickness of the intestinal mucosa decreases due to shortening of the intestinal villi and a decrease in the cryptogenic layer, as well as the production of intestinal enzymes. These changes lead to disruption of the processes of parietal digestion and absorption.

With age, atrophy of pancreatic acinar cells develops with their replacement by connective tissue and the development of interlobular and intralobular fibrosis; part of the lobules is completely replaced by adipose tissue. The pancreas decreases, perivascular intra- and interlobular vessels develop. The insular apparatus of the gland is also subject to changes: the number of small islets of Langerhans increases, the number of large islets decreases, the number of alpha cells increases, while the number of beta cells decreases. Weakens with age exocrine function pancreas - the amount of juice, the concentration of bicarbonates, trypsin, and lipase in it are reduced.

The mass of the liver and its size decrease in the process of aging. In hepatocytes, the area of ​​energy-producing and protein-synthesizing structures is reduced, lipofuscin accumulates, and the number of binuclear and polyploid cells increases. The area of ​​contact of hepatocytes with sinusoids and the number of capillaries per unit area of ​​the liver parenchyma decrease. Increases the area of ​​the lumen bile ducts, their tone decreases, which helps to slow down the flow of bile. The level of free bilirubin increases as a result of slowing down the process of glucuronidation in hepatocytes. With age, protein-educational and detoxification functions decrease, glycogen-producing and excretory functions of the liver are disturbed. The volume of the gallbladder increases. Fibrotic changes in the muscles of the bottom of the gallbladder, a decrease in the elasticity of its walls, deformation of the valvular apparatus, along with regulatory disorders, lead to a decrease in its motor-evacuation function, an increase in the volume of residual bile, which contributes to the formation of gallstones.

urinary system. In the genesis of age-related changes in kidney function, the leading role is played by the renal vessels and the associated decrease in renal blood flow. glomerular loops leads to subsequent desolation and atrophy of the tubular system. So, after 70 years, the number of functioning nephrons is reduced by about 50%. With aging, the glomerular filtration rate decreases, an indicator closely related to renal hemodynamics. With age, the resistance of the vascular system of the kidneys increases, especially in the afferent arterioles of the glomeruli. In elderly and old people, there is an almost linear decrease in all renal function- nitrogen and water excretory, electrolyte excretory. a number of electrolytes compared with young people is reduced by 20-40%. The renal mechanisms of regulation of the acid-base state of the body become less reliable.

With age, the nervous mechanism of regulation of kidney activity weakens, and the importance of the humoral link increases. There is evidence of an increase in the sensitivity of aging to catecholamines, aldosterone, antidiuretic hormone, etc.

Morphological and functional changes are also detected in the urinary tract: their walls thicken and lose their elasticity, atrophy of the muscle layer occurs, contractility decreases, sphincters weaken.

Musculoskeletal system. Changes in bone, cartilage and muscle tissues, as well as the bursal-ligamentous apparatus that develop with aging, are more often manifested as heterochronous and heterotopic dystrophic-destructive disorders with a predominance of osteoporotic and hyperplastic processes. Skeletal aging clearly correlates with a decrease in human height, which occurs mainly due to an increase in the curvature of the spine, a decrease in the height of the intervertebral discs and articular cartilage. Clinically, aging of the musculoskeletal system is more often manifested by fatigue when walking, periodic aching dull pains in the area of ​​the spine and joints, impaired posture and gait, limited mobility and pain in the spine and joints, neuroreflex and neurodystrophic signs of osteochondrosis. The most characteristic is the increasing rarefaction of bone tissue. In the area of ​​the extremities, it mainly affects the humeral and phalanges of the fingers, by which one can roughly determine the age, as well as the neck of the greater trochanter and the intertrochanteric region of the femoral hand (in 75% of the elderly). In the area of ​​the knee joint, it is observed in almost 100% of those examined over 70 years old. The zone of osteoporosis extends to the epimetaphyses, as well as to the diaphysis, where the cortical layer sharply becomes thinner, and the medullary canal expands. In all parts of the foot, the relief of the bones is emphasized, the edges of the articular surfaces are sharpened, the joint spaces are narrowed; especially early and clearly it manifests itself in the head of the I metatarsal bone, calcaneus, cuboid and sphenoid bones. The function of hematopoiesis and deposition of mineral substances (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, etc.) is significantly reduced. Rarefikation of bone tissue is one of the causes of bone fractures that occur in older people most often in the vertebrae, in the radius and neck of the femur claws. The ultrastructure of the mineral component of bone tissue changes, in particular, the content of hydroxyapatite crystals increases, which significantly reduces bone strength.

Changes in the bone and cartilage tissue of the spine are more pronounced than in the extremities. The height of the intervertebral fissure decreases, bone and cartilage growths develop along the edges of the vertebral bodies, subchondral sclerosis and their moderate osteoporosis. In elderly and old people, it is combined with Schmorl's nodes (up to 25%) and spondylosis (about 90%). Clinically, the spine in the elderly is manifested by mild pain in the cervical, thoracic or lumbar regions spine and many visceral symptoms (cardialgia, etc.).

Vitamin deficiency often occurs during antibiotic therapy. In complex therapy, the importance of full-fledged care increases (for the oral cavity, respiratory, prevention of bedsores, full-fledged, sufficient fluid intake, etc.). Mandatory component complex treatment should be (decamevit, undevit, etc.). With symptoms of exhaustion, anabolic steroids are indicated. Even in the absence of heart failure, cardiac and vascular agents. In order to facilitate sputum discharge, it is prescribed with bronchodilators. With the normalization of body temperature, breathing exercises are required. Should be widely applied.

Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. Etiology and peptic ulcer disease in older people have features due to a decrease in the activity of the cholinergic system and a relative increase in the activity of the sympathoadrenal system, atherosclerosis, deterioration of the trophism of the mucous membrane gastrointestinal tract, weakening it defense mechanisms. Distinguish peptic ulcer that arose at a young and middle age (the so-called old); peptic ulcer, which began and develops in the elderly and senile age ("late"); "senile" ulcers caused by circulatory disorders as a result of diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory systems, taking certain medications, etc.

Clinically, peptic ulcer in the elderly and senile age is characterized by a moderately severe pain syndrome, the absence of its clear connection with food intake. pain is very diverse and often atypical, which is due to both complications of the underlying disease (duodenitis, ulcers) and concomitant diseases of the abdominal organs. The predominance of dyspeptic syndrome by pain was noted. Characteristic, nausea, constipation, weight loss, less often. The course of the disease is characterized by monotony, lack of a clear periodicity and seasonality of exacerbations. The older, the more often the asymptomatic course of the disease occurs, and for the first time it is manifested by bleeding or perforation. Against the background of prolonged minor bleeding, often hidden, hypochromic anemia develops, which in these cases becomes the only and leading clinical manifestation of the disease. Often, a decrease in the acid and mucus-forming function of the stomach is determined.

X-ray and endoscopic examination of the stomach and duodenum is of decisive importance in the diagnosis. Gastric ulcers that have arisen in the elderly and senile age are characterized by significant size, shallow bottom, fuzzy and bleeding edges, hyperemia and atrophy of the surrounding mucosa. In persons over 60 years of age, ulcers are localized mainly in the stomach (3 times more often than in young and middle-aged patients). There is a slowdown in scarring of the ulcer; much more often than in young people, there are complications (bleeding, penetration, ulcers).

In the treatment of mental disorders in a patient of senile age, his somatic condition should always be taken into account. Due to the reduced and even poor tolerance in old age, treatment with psychopharmacological agents, their use requires caution: a slow increase in doses, a decrease in the maximum doses used (approximately two and even three times compared to the doses used in the treatment of young and middle-aged patients), mandatory simultaneous use correctors (cyclodol, etc.) due to the ease of development of neurological complications that are difficult to correct. It should be very carefully prescribed due to their pronounced muscle relaxant effect and a sharply increasing disorder of coordination of movements. For this reason, it is better not to use such a tranquilizer as Relanium (Seduxen) at all.

It is widely used in the treatment of depression. Many patients are shown treatment with nootropic agents (Nootropic agents) (piracetam, pyriditol, etc.). These funds have, among other things, also a slight stimulating effect, so they should be prescribed only in the morning and at noon. In addition, often the use nootropic drugs entails the appearance of pronounced irritability. From psychotherapeutic methods great importance give family psychotherapy.

Rehabilitation measures for aging and old people should preferably be based on the skillful stimulation of their existing mental and physical abilities, primarily with the help of those forms of activity that were previously the most familiar and valued, on observing the rhythm of life developed in the past, preventing and timely treatment of intercurrent diseases.

Features of diagnosis of diseases and treatment of elderly and senile patients. A doctor of any specialty must adhere to a special approach to patients of older age groups. As a rule, at least three diseases are recognized in a patient over 60 years of age who has undergone a routine outpatient examination. When examining elderly and senile patients, diagnostic errors are more often observed. They are explained not only by other reactions of the patient to the disease and its complications, but also by a change in the patient's personality, his incorrect interpretation of the symptoms of the disease that have appeared, which are often perceived as a manifestation of old age and therefore do not cause him to seek medical help. It is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the development and course of diseases in the elderly and old people, due to the new qualities of an aging organism, which is very important for the correct diagnosis, rational therapy and prevention of diseases in them. In old age, there is a slow increase in pathological processes. This is the reason for the latent course of diseases, their frequent asymptomaticity, indicating a general decrease in reactivity. In the elderly and especially senile age, the structure of morbidity changes significantly due to a decrease in the number of acute diseases and an increase in the number of diseases associated with the progression of chronic pathological processes.

Clinical observations indicate that generally accepted schemes for diagnosing many diseases are unacceptable in geriatric practice. This is caused by a slower and often masked course of tumor processes, pneumonia, often atypical, painless myocardial infarctions, latent pulmonary tuberculosis, milder forms of diabetes mellitus, closely associated with atherosclerosis; other genesis and course of stomach ulcers developing on the basis of atherosclerosis; the influence of clinically pronounced age-related processes in the bones and joints of the spine, causing both circulatory disorders in a number of main vessels and special symptoms, often leading to an erroneous diagnosis of heart diseases; the latent course of the acute abdomen syndrome and many other features of the course of acute diseases associated with other properties of the aging organism, changes in its protective properties. Acute diseases often acquire a subchronic form of the course, the severity of the damage to the body does not correspond to the mild symptoms of the disease.

In the elderly and senile age, the recovery processes after past illnesses occur more slowly, less completely, which leads to a protracted period of rehabilitation and often less effective therapy. In this regard, in the rehabilitation treatment of elderly and senile people, great perseverance and consideration of the age-related characteristics of the condition are necessary.

Pharmacotherapy in geriatrics. With aging in the human body, the kinetic and dynamic phases of the pharmacological action of the drug change, which are disturbed at different levels: absorption (absorption) in the stomach and intestines, hepatic metabolism, plasma transport, excretion, sensitivity and receptor response.

In geriatric practice, drugs are most often used orally. Age-related changes in the digestive apparatus, being individual, can cause significant changes in the absorption of medicinal substances. Both the speed and the efficiency of the suction process change. In practically healthy people of elderly and senile age, the stomach and intestines progress with age. As a result, the evacuation capacity of the stomach often decreases. Since the site of maximum absorption is thin, slowing down the evacuation of the drug from the stomach reduces the rate of its absorption. Due to a decrease in the rate of evacuation of the drug and normal or accelerated elimination (excretion from the body), it is sometimes impossible to obtain its therapeutic concentration in plasma and tissues. Delayed gastric emptying can have an undesirable effect on acid-resistant drugs (penicillin preparations) and drugs that are highly metabolized in the intestine (L-dopa). A decrease in the rate of absorption of drugs in people of older age groups may be due to aging-related atrophic processes in the stomach wall, changes in its vessels, and a decrease in blood flow in the mesentery. A change in the absorption of medicinal substances is also observed when administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly. This is mainly due to a slowdown in blood flow and changes in the permeability of the capillary walls. Therefore, with these methods of administration, medicinal substances often act somewhat later and less intensively than in younger people.

The aging process can affect the distribution of drugs in the body. An important role is played by the degree of decrease in cardiac output, age-related features of the blood supply to various organs and systems, blood flow velocity, features of the permeability of cell membranes, and the degree of impaired blood supply to the liver and kidneys.

Features of the action of various drugs in an aging organism are also due to a change in the ability of blood proteins and organs to bind to medicinal substances due to age-related changes in their physical and chemical properties and reactivity. Shifts in the protein composition of the blood observed during aging due to a decrease in the amount of albumins, with which medicinal substances are predominantly bound, an increase in the coarsely dispersed phases of globulins, changes in the composition of lipoproteins can cause an altered transport of administered drugs, a slow rate of their diffusion through vascular tissue membranes. A decrease in the concentration of albumin in the blood plasma leads to a decrease in the possibility of binding the drug to a blood protein. At the same time, the concentration of the drug, free for diffusion into the tissues of the body, remains high. Thus, elderly and old people, as a result of their decrease in the amount of albumin in plasma proteins, are more susceptible to drug therapy, the development of drug intoxication, especially when using several drugs.

With aging, the composition of tissues changes significantly - the ratio muscle mass, fat and total water content. In the period from 25 to 60 years, muscle mass decreases by 20%, fat content increases by 10-20%. the amount of water decreases by 10-15%, and after 75 years - by 18-20%. As a rule, the mass of parenchymal organs decreases. In this regard, it is impossible to calculate the dose of the drug on the basis of the total body weight.

It is known that medicinal substances quickly penetrate into parenchymal organs and other well-perfused tissues, slower in and even slower in adipose tissue. Muscles and especially adipose tissue more slowly than parenchymal organs, they are released from medicinal substances and are a reservoir for the continuation of their effect. The development of adipose tissue in the body, often observed in older people, can be considered as an increase in the depot of medicinal substances, which contributes to an increase in their cumulation and a tendency to toxic effects on.

In the process of aging, there are a number of significant changes in the structure and function of the liver (Liver), which is the main organ in which the metabolism of drugs is carried out. They are based on age-related atrophy, a decrease in many liver functions, incl. protein-educational and antitoxic, which are so important for the normal metabolism of medicinal substances. Pathological processes in the liver, which are often observed in the elderly, further reduce its synthetic-neutralizing functions. Due to a decrease in the hepatic metabolism of drugs with aging, it often does not ensure that a high concentration of unbound drug is reduced to a normal therapeutic level, as a result of which a drug sometimes develops.

The last pharmacokinetics is the excretion of the drug, carried out mainly by the kidneys. In elderly and senile people, it gradually decreases excretory function kidneys. A number of drugs (digoxin, allopurinol, novocainamide, methyldopa, ethambutol, especially in large doses) are excreted from the body unchanged or in the form of active metabolites: when prescribing them, a preliminary assessment should be carried out functional ability kidneys. Such drugs should be prescribed starting with the lowest of the recommended doses and then adjusting it depending on the clinical effect and the level of the drug in the blood. Drugs such as chlorpropamide, sulfacylamides, furadonin should not be prescribed to elderly and old people with severe renal dysfunction, tk. in this case, the drugs are not effective enough and have a more pronounced side effect.

The ineffectiveness, and sometimes the negative effect of drug therapy used in geriatric practice, may be a consequence of changes in reactivity and cell depletion due to aging of the body and often layering pathological process, promoting involution, atrophy. This largely explains the inadequate responses in older people to drugs. Negative impact, paradoxical effect, qualitative changes in tissue response mainly depend on the lack of parallelism in changes in sensitivity, reactivity and endurance, especially in cases where the reactivity of the body is reduced with increased sensitivity. Therefore, by increasing the dose of administered substances, it is far from always possible to achieve a therapeutic effect and it is relatively easy to cause reactions that are opposite in nature. This is especially significant when exposed to cardiac glycosides, nitroglycerin, sympathomimetic and some other agents.

Elderly and senile age is not a reason for refusing combination drug therapy, however, in these cases, each time there is a problem of its implementation in high-risk conditions, because. the boundaries between the active and dangerous zones of action of drugs converge significantly with age. The frequency of adverse reactions in this case clearly increases as the number of simultaneously used drugs increases, and also in proportion to the age of an aging person.

The basic principle of geriatric pharmacotherapy is the careful use of drugs. Before prescribing a drug, it is necessary to evaluate all other possibilities for influencing the body of an old person. With long-term drug treatment, it is necessary to periodically review the pharmacotherapy regimen in order to reduce the number of prescribed drugs. The method of administration should be as simple as possible. Great attention should be paid to the observance of the intervals between doses of drugs. It is recommended to prescribe drugs in reduced doses, especially at the beginning of treatment. By slowly increasing individual doses, you can set the drug.

Treatment with antibiotics and antibacterial drugs is carried out in usual doses, according to general rules. It must be borne in mind that the risk of intoxication, side effects of these substances on the body of an elderly and old person is higher, especially with insufficient supply of vitamins, mainly group B. It is important to take into account the usefulness of the diet, water and salt diet, the amount of urine excreted. This is of particular importance in connection with the very frequent insufficient fluid intake of old people, which contributes to the development of drug intoxication. At long-term use many drugs, in particular sedatives, analgesics, hypnotics, are noted for them, as a result of which the patient increases their dose, which is the cause of the development of drug intoxication. It is recommended to prescribe them for a short period, frequent replacement of some drugs with others that have a similar effect, and, if possible, interruptions in the intake. Vitamin therapy should be considered as a factor that reduces the risk of drug intoxication and other side effects.

Bibliography: Valenkovich L.N. in geriatrics, L., 1987, bibliogr.; Korkushko O.V. Non-specific lung diseases in geriatric practice, Kiev, 1984; it, Cardiovascular and age, M., 1983; Tokar A.I. Arterial hypertension in the elderly and senile age, Kiev, 1989; Frolkis V.V. Aging and increase in life expectancy, L., 1988; Frolkis V.V., Bezrukov V.V. and Shevchuk V.G. and aging, L., 1984, bibliogr.; Khmelevskaya S.S. drug care for the elderly and senile, Kiev, 1985, bibliogr.; Chebotarev D.F. and others and age, L., 1982.

1. Small medical encyclopedia. - M.: Medical Encyclopedia. 1991-96 2. First aid. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia. 1994 3. Encyclopedic dictionary of medical terms. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. - 1982-1984. Philosophical Dictionary of Sponville

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Premature aging of the mind and body, leading to a decrease in the mental and physical abilities of a person, which is usually observed in people only in old age. See also Dementia, Progeria. Presennlny (presenile).

Being a natural biological process, aging affects everyone, imperceptibly destroying the body. Degenerative processes, starting at the cellular and molecular level, gradually affect the change in the functionality of all organs and systems. What are the causes of the aging process of the body and whether it is possible to influence them, questions that scientists around the world have been struggling with for many years.

About 200 different theories and hypotheses that consider the causes of aging of the body do not give a complete answer, why decrepitude occurs, and how to stop this process. Nevertheless, familiarity with these theories gives general idea about the development of age-related wilting processes.

1. The theory of apoptosis is based on the hypothesis of the existence of a cell death program at the end of its life cycle. The reason for aging, according to this theory, is that more cells are destroyed in the body than are formed.
2. The telomeric theory proves that human cells have a certain division limit, after exhausting which they experience degenerative transformations that lead to their death, and the body to decrepitude.
3. The neurogenic theory, speaking of fading, explains the causes of human aging with a functional imbalance of the central nervous system, leading to a reduction in the cognitive capabilities of the brain due to slagging of the intercellular space.
4. The theory of free radicals, the essence of which is that active oxygen molecules formed in the body under the influence of chemical processes in the body, as well as the influence of ultraviolet radiation, polluted air and other external factors, having an unpaired electron, react with neighboring molecules, damaging healthy cells.

Other, no less interesting theories explaining the degradation changes in the body - radiation, elevation, redusom, adaptive-regulatory, the theory of somatic mutations allow us to expand our understanding of the aging process, enabling scientists to search for methods of influencing them.

Features of the process of age degradation

Withering and decrepitude is an irreversible natural process, genetically incorporated in living cells. Accumulation of damaged and dead cells leads to gradual deterioration of organs and systems, which, in turn, causes a gradual loss of the ability to self-repair and regenerate, adapt to changes in the surrounding world. In the process of decrepitude, metabolic processes are disturbed, diseases develop that activate its even greater wear. First of all, the eyes, teeth, urinary system age.

There are 2 types of decrepitude:

• physiological, in which the integral biological age of the human body coincides with the actual. It has a natural beginning and is characterized by a slow pace of development. Aging in this way, a person will retain health, activity, interest in life for a long time;
• pathological or premature, in which the accumulation of age-related changes begins ahead of time, occurs at an accelerated pace.

Why do some people age faster and others slower? The decay process is different for everyone. The intensity of aging of the human body depends on the genetically programmed activity of the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the action of antioxidants. If the SOD enzyme cannot be externally influenced, then the level of antioxidants in the body can be regulated with the help of bioactive nutrients. By including vitamins, bioactive substances and microelements in your diet, you can influence a third of the free-radical processes that occur in the body and affect the rate of decrepitude.

As a result of medical research, the dependence of the progression of mental degradation in the elderly on a deficiency of cyanocobalamin, aka vitamin B12, has been proven.

What changes does the aging process cause?

Age decrepitude is a multifactorial process caused by the interaction of many events that repeat and accumulate, accompanied by the passage of certain changes.

External signs of wilting are wrinkles and pigmentation, gray hair, baldness, clouding of the lens of the eye, muscle flabbiness, abrasion of teeth, change hormonal background, urinary incontinence problem.

Inside the body, the processes of decrepitude primarily affect the functions of the heart, nervous and vascular systems. Atherosclerosis, which affects the vessels, impairs the supply of nutrients to tissues and organs, and the removal of toxins. A functional imbalance develops that affects the functioning of the liver and kidneys, which cease to cope with the cleansing of the body, leading to an increase in the concentration of intermediate metabolic products, causing inhibition of cellular respiration, and a decrease in metabolic processes. The accumulation of toxic substances is reflected in nervous system, mental health, leading to a decrease emotional stability, attention, deterioration of character, ability to work.

Changes that the body undergoes in the process of decrepitude:

• decrease in the rate of metabolism of substances, the amount of oxygen consumed;
• reduction of reserves of cells, tissues, systems;
• slowing down immunological responses to stress;
• decrease in the amount of water in the tissues;
• an increase in the amount of calcium salts, their deposition on the walls of blood vessels;
• reduction of motor reactions, change in posture;
• weakening of the heart, immunity, extinction of the reproductive function;
• disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, deterioration in the digestibility of food due to a decrease in the production of digestive enzymes;
• decrease in the activity of the functions of the kidneys, other organs and systems;
• accumulation by the body of toxins, slag products.

As can be seen, age-related changes in the aging process are associated with the activation of some processes and the suppression of others.

It is interesting! The process of decrepitude occurs at an increasing rate, which at first is the same for both men and women. Then men, reaching the age of 48, begin to age 3 times faster. From this moment on, women are biologically younger than males, despite the fact that after 55 years of age, their aging accelerates by 4 times.

Factors affecting age-related decrepitude

Due to the fact that age-related wilting is a complex of interrelated processes, there is no single reason that causes it to begin.

Considering the main causes of the aging process of the human body, the following should be noted:

1. Oxidation is a process caused by the action of oxygen atoms that are in the body and are called free radicals. It is they who are responsible for the occurrence of 90% of diseases and the chemical basis for the aging of cells and organs, actively reacting with molecules.
2. Melatonin deficiency. One of the functions of this hormone is the ability to slow down the development of aging. Possessing antioxidant activity, the hormone melatonin neutralizes the effects of oxidative processes by binding free radicals. It also has an immunostimulating, anti-stress effect. The lack of this hormone provokes the early onset of menopause, contributes to the development of obesity and cancer.
3. Poor nutrition and an unhealthy lifestyle are directly reflected in health and appearance. Antioxidants, which come into the human body with healthy food, help protect it from the action of free radicals, eliminating the causes of early aging.
4. Dehydration is the main indicator of wilting, as it ensures the optimal functioning of all organs and systems, removing toxins.

Why do we age prematurely?

Studies show that the biological age of almost 70% of people exceeds the physiological age by several years. External signs This imbalance manifests itself around the age of 40 years. Why is this happening?

The impact of adverse external and internal factors that can trigger the fading mechanism ahead of schedule, and there are the main causes of premature aging. These include:

1. Stress is a factor that can start and also accelerate the aging process. As a result of stress, wrinkles may appear, hair may turn gray or hair may begin to fall out, hormonal levels, and the rate of metabolic processes may change.
2. Diseases and bad habits. Chronic and severe diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, ulcers, tuberculosis, immune deficiency, vascular sclerosis and others, cause changes in posture, skin, hair, and other signs of decrepitude.
3. Chronic fatigue syndrome is considered a model of accelerated aging, as it leads to an imbalance of the main physiological functions organism, exhaustion of internal reserves.
4. The lack of muscle activity causes chronic fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of tissue tone, contributes to the development of obesity, diseases of the respiratory system, heart. On the contrary, moderate physical training improves blood circulation, increases lung capacity, and facilitates weight control.
5. Flaw brain activity leads to the death of brain cells and its gradual atrophy. One of the reasons that causes a decrease in the activity of brain functions is monotony, routine, chronic lack of mood. All this is bad for appearance and well-being. While finding new incentives for one's own development and a positive outlook on life slow down aging, slowing down the process of cell destruction in the body.

In addition to these causes, premature aging is influenced by environmental problems, social factors- level, income, medical care and social protection, as well as endogenous factors - metabolic imbalance, intoxication, immune failures, heredity. Often, early aging is accompanied by early progression of atherosclerosis and its complications.

What causes skin aging

Aging of the skin of the face in women, as well as the whole body, is due to a genetic factor that triggers the process of destruction in the cells. A decrease in the amount of collagen and elastin in the skin, which are responsible for its firmness and elasticity, leads to the formation of static and mimic wrinkles, sagging of facial contours.

The age of 25 years is the approximate beginning of slowdowns in the processes of skin regeneration, the beginning of the accumulation of fatigue. Therefore, the sooner you start caring for her, the more likely it is to preserve her youth. From the age of 35, active skin care is the key to its beautiful appearance. 50-60 years - a period when aging is gaining momentum, accelerating its process. Signs of wilting become noticeable, especially on skin that has lacked care. After 60 years, facial skin becomes a reflection of the previous lifestyle and care for it. Starting from this age, cosmetics have only a supporting effect, and only plastic will help improve the appearance.

In addition to the natural causes of facial skin aging, there are also a number of factors that can slow down or speed up this process. These include the state of the environment, exposure to UV rays, lifestyle features, regularity of care. Considering the causes of aging and withering of the skin, one cannot but touch on the topic of nutrition. Since certain taste preferences have a significant impact on the condition of the skin.

Excessive love for sweets accelerates skin aging by half, and alcohol abuse makes a person 10 years older.

As studies show, a passion for sweets can trigger glycation - the process of combining glucose with protein cells, which leads to the destruction of collagen and elastin, loss of skin elasticity, smoothness, the formation of wrinkles, slowing down regenerative processes, blood microflow in the skin, and activating its withering. People with high blood glucose look older than their age.

The love of coffee is another factor that can negatively affect the condition of the skin. Being a natural diuretic, it removes fluid from the body, thereby contributing to its dehydration. It is enough to drink 3 cups of coffee so that the body feels a lack of fluid.

The use of processed meat products - ham, sausages and others, due to the high salt content, provokes the appearance of edema.

Alcohol in excessive amounts, overloading the liver, leads to the accumulation of toxins and half-life products, promotes the excretion of calcium and vitamins A, group B from the body, its dehydration. As a result - the appearance of acne, age spots, wrinkles.

Prevention of aging

The recipe for eternal youth has not yet been discovered, so prevention is the only effective way to slow down age-related fading.

Scientists have proven that every 11 months there is a complete renewal of cells in the body. Why then does he keep getting older? The reason is the impossibility of removing all damaged or aged cells. Therefore, taking independent actions aimed at maintaining youth between the ages of 25-45 can significantly delay the onset of old age. These include:

• moderate nutrition using environmentally friendly products, products containing natural antioxidants - bioflavonoids, enzymes, vitamins E, C, K, P, A, zinc, selenium, dietary fiber, plant hormone-like substances;
• compliance with the water regime;
• compliance with the regime of work, rest;
• moderate exercise;
• positive attitude, friendly attitude;
• regular medical examination and timely treatment of diseases;
• correction of immunity and hormonal levels in the postmenopausal period.

Though human body is a full-fledged self-regulating system with a significant reserve of vital energy, the question of why the body ages is still open. The mechanism of age-related wilting is very complex and depends on many factors, including the individual characteristics of each individual. A set of preventive measures aimed at maintaining the vital resources of the body can slow down the processes of decrepitude, maintain health, and prolong life.

Nothing is eternal. Any organism sooner or later undergoes aging. Unfortunately , this process is irreversible . But the rate at which the body is exposed destructive impact, after all, depends on each of us. In order to stay healthy longer and look younger than one's true years, it is important not only to know the causes that affect the aging of organs and tissues, but also ways to solve each of the problems found.
Of course, specialists in the field of cosmetic surgery have advanced far in their research and inventions, but it is good to know that there are more affordable and harmless ways to maintain health and beauty.
Before taking concrete action and starting the war against aging, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with a number of reasons that negatively affect the functioning of the body over time.

one . stress. It has long been no secret to anyone that constant moral stress adversely affects well-being, reduces performance and immunity, significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition to these deplorable consequences for a person, there is one more thing - premature aging . These conclusions were reached by a Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry from Californian Elissa Epel University. the hypothesis about premature aging, she carefully checked at the cellular level. Her guess was confirmed.

How to behave.
If you notice that your heart is beating faster or sweating has increased, take a few measured and deep breaths. And get yourself some enjoyable hobbies for the rest of your life that will ease the constant stress.

2. The use of alcoholic beverages. Evidence of the harmful effects of alcohol on the body abound. Of the entire cohort of this kind of drink, only red wine is useful. As long as it is used in moderation.

How to behave.
It is useful for women to drink one glass of red wine a day, for men - two. According to research, published according to the American Journal of Epidemiology, such a measure could reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by a third. But this limit should not be exceeded. Overuse alcoholic production leads to strokes, cancers in the liver, chest and throat.

3 . Lack of physical activity. Many of us suffer from this deficiency. If not out of good will, then because of some circumstances. For example, due to sedentary work. Doctor of Philosophy, professor of geriatric medicine, nutrition and physiology at the University of Arkansas William Evans believes that even a few minutes of physical activity per hour can improve well-being. stabilize weight, cope with stress and slow down the aging process.

How to behave.
The most important thing is to find the strength in yourself to increase the level of physical activity. If you don't have time to go to the gym or pool, train yourself to take the stairs to the floor. Gradually increase the load. The best options are hour and a half Hiking five times a week.

4 . Eating high amounts of saturated fats. Saturated fats enter the human body along with tasty chicken, meat, milk and butter. Their excessive use leads to an increase in cholesterol levels, which sooner or later leads to heart disease.

How to behave.
The most ideal option in this case is the kitchen mediterranean with lots of seafood. The usual diet should include peanut and olive oils, safflower, canola. The main goal remains to reduce the consumption of saturated fat to the optimal mark, which is equal to ten percent of the total calories consumed.

5 . Tobacco smoking. Recognized leader among causes of death. Every year about five million people on the planet die because of smoking. The life of a smoker is, on average, shorter than that of a non-smoker by thirteen years. This is the statistics in developed countries.

How to behave. To reduce the risk of cancer and premature wrinkles, it is necessary to stop smoking. The dose of nicotine obtained in this way can be exchanged for nicotine contained in other sources. These include special patches and chewing gums. There have been over a hundred studies in the past decade showing that these substitutes double your chances of quitting smoking.

6. Bad ecology . Gassed and dusty air can cause dry and burning eyes, coughing, asthmatic attacks and respiratory problems.

How to behave.
Unfortunately , you will not be able to change the level of ecology on your own . It is necessary to leave the city as often as possible , to walk through coniferous or deciduous forests .

7. Prolonged exposure to the sun. Nowadays, skin cancer is a fairly common disease that has its own incurable forms. For example , melanoma .

How to behave.
You should not go outside during lunch, when the sun burns especially strongly with its rays at a right angle. In addition, you must constantly use sun protection creams that suit your skin type. This will not only reduce the risk of skin cancer, but also relieve dryness and wrinkles.

eight . Lack of healthy sleep. the lack of healthy and full sleep leads to poor health, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even problems with remembering any material. These unfavorable Changes are taking place with people not only with the elderly, they also concern young people.

How to behave.
Sleep eight hours a day. Preferably , always at the same time . A regular sleep schedule will help get rid of many health problems and return a blooming appearance.

9 . Excess weight. Excessive body weight is the root cause of many diseases. Due to obesity, the cardiovascular system often suffers, cancers or diabetes mellitus often occur.

How to behave.
Create for yourself the optimal diet, with which you can over time adjust weight . It doesn't have to be a debilitating diet. The presence of all vitamins and minerals is important in food. It is important to adhere to such a diet constantly. This event is for life and has no time limit. In order to properly develop your menu, which will take into account all the necessary needs of the body, you can visit a nutritionist. To normalize body weight, exercise is no less important.

10 . Excessive consumption of sugar. Lack of measure in the use of sweets leads to the most unfavorable consequences. This is weight gain, and dental disease, and diabetes.

How to behave.
It is necessary to minimize the consumption of sugar. If you really crave sweets, allow yourself a couple of spoons of honey or eat sweet fruits. Try eliminating high sugar foods from your diet.

It is impossible to turn back the clock , but it is in the power of each of us to slow down the movement of the hands . Listen to your body and the recommendations of experts.

How to slow down aging? Why do some people manage to look 40 at 20, while others at 60 look 20 years younger. Some biological processes occurring in the body accelerate the aging process. slow down aging natural way maybe.

The US National Institute on Aging (NIA) summed up the results of research for last years. Here is a brief overview of this article. Scientists have developed several strategies to slow down aging, it is up to each human individual whether to apply the advice or not.

How to slow down aging - eight behavioral strategies

Two complex processes that accelerate aging are excessive cell oxidation. The acceleration of aging is associated with excessive consumption of sugar, constant stress and environmental pollution. Ongoing research by the US National Institute on Aging is helping to develop guidelines for slowing down aging naturally.

It has been scientifically proven that at the genetic level they slow down the aging process. Other natural methods, such as antioxidant foods, sensible calorie restriction, natural hormone supplements, take a different approach.

Approximately 20% of the rate of biological aging is determined by the genetic code. The remaining 80% depend on the environmental situation and lifestyle. Controlling the last two factors and adopting a few simple but effective measures possibly slow down the rate of biological aging.

How to slow down aging with diet

Want to slow down the aging process? Review the diet, monitor the quantity and quality of food. Certain foods and supplements help you look and feel younger. These are the antioxidants healthy fats, vitamins and phytonutrients.

"Sea" type of nutrition stops the destructive processes in the body. Omega-3 PUFAs help slow or even stop the mental decline associated with aging. If you were not born on the Mediterranean coast, then learn the principles of the diet of centenarians

Antioxidants protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals. The discovery of antioxidants raised hopes that people could slow down aging simply by adding them to their diet. The most famous antioxidants:

• Glutathione (produced by the body itself)
• Vitamins C, A, E
• Coenzyme Q10
• Lycopene, Quercetin, Astaxanthin, Lutein
• Melatonin
• Lipoic acid
• carotenoids, etc.

The body's ability to produce antioxidants decreases with age. The aging process cannot be stopped. Let's age nicely. Antioxidant complexes should also be present in food.

Resveratol or the French Paradox

Resveratrol, a natural antioxidant, bioflavonoid found in grapes, blueberries, nuts, cocoa beans. Plants produce resveratol to protect against disease and infection. Extensive experiments to reveal useful properties resveratol were carried out on mice.

Mice fed resveratrol were healthier and lived longer than mice on a normal diet. In subsequent experiments, the researchers found that with aging, resveratrol slowed age-related changes.

A recent human study found that resveratrol has similar health benefits. However, it is too early to draw definitive conclusions about how resveratrol affects human health and aging.

To date, it has been proven that resveratol improves vascular elasticity, lowers cholesterol levels, and reduces the risk of blood clots. Together, this leads to improved blood circulation and prevents atherosclerosis.

Eat less but better

The quality and quantity of food affects the years of life. The question is how? Of interest is a diet that is lower by a certain percentage in terms of calories, but contains everything nutrients. Experiments show that 30% calorie restriction has a positive effect on markers of aging.

It has been established that reducing nutrition prolongs the life of the simplest organisms, but complex organisms, including mammals, show conflicting results. This type limits can be checked for yourself. Researchers have not yet come to final conclusions.

Limiting calorie intake by 20-30% for overweight people will help lower insulin levels and regulate blood pressure. The risk of major causes of death, such as heart disease and diabetes, is reduced.

The older you get, the more important strength training is

Muscle mass reaches its peak around the age of 20 and then begins to decline gradually. The loss of muscle mass associated with age leads to a decrease in endurance, strength, elasticity, bone strength and a decrease in mental capacity. In turn, muscle tissue begins to be replaced by fatty tissue and an inevitable increase in body weight occurs.

Strength training and resistance training is one of the most powerful anti-aging strategies. The loss of muscle mass is only 1-3% per year. However, after 20 years, body composition can change significantly if nothing is done. The process of losing muscle mass is called sarcopenia.

Research in this area has shown that training programs can stop age-related muscle loss. Constant training leads to an increase in muscle mass, even in people aged about 70 years and above.

The most effective are exercises that bring to work all muscle groups. These are squats, lunges, push-ups, pull-ups, bench press. There is no age to say that I am too old to start training. This is the “fountain of youth” accessible to all.

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise is an affordable form of physical activity. Oxygen is used as the main form of energy for muscle work. Walking, running, swimming, dancing, biking, treadmill, exercise bikes are examples of aerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise supports the cardiovascular system, strengthens bone tissue, helps normalize blood pressure, and helps reduce stress. In general, aerobic exercise improves endurance. A competent combination of aerobic and anaerobic (strength) exercises forms a beautiful strong body.

One of the leading theories in the field of aging is the theory of mitochondrial decay. We are thought to be aging, in part because the mitochondria in our cells do not produce energy efficiently as we did when we were young. Aerobic exercise stimulates mitochondria. Endurance training increases mitochondrial function.

Hormones, without them nowhere

Without hormones, we cannot survive. During childhood, hormones help grow. V adolescence lead to puberty. As time goes by, levels of certain hormones naturally decrease, such as testosterone in men and estrogen in women.

Hormones are involved in the regulation of metabolism, immune function, sexual reproduction and growth. glands such as the pituitary gland, thyroid, adrenal glands, ovaries and testes, release hormones necessary to stimulate, regulate and control the functions of tissues and organs. Most hormones are usually found in low concentrations in the bloodstream. NIA research focuses on hormones that naturally decline with age, including:

• human growth hormone
• Testosterone
• Estrogen and progesterone (as part of menopausal hormone therapy)
• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)

Some time ago it was believed that hormone treatment is a "fountain of youth" to feel young and prevent aging. The NIA assures that to date, no study has shown that hormone therapy increases life expectancy. Patients who are diagnosed with a hormone deficiency should only take hormones by prescription and under medical supervision.

Buy a good mattress and have sex

Lack of sleep lowers mental ability and testosterone levels in men. Poor sleep quality accelerates the signs of aging and weakens the skin's ability to repair itself at night. A person needs 6 to 8 hours of quality sleep. Deep, restful, uninterrupted sleep makes you feel rested and rejuvenated.

"The key ingredients for looking younger are staying active... and maintaining a good sex life." - Dr. Weeks

A study has shown that regular sex with a good partner, up to three times a week, reduces biological age by 4-7 years. Experimenters are not entirely sure how or why regular sex has such a powerful rejuvenating effect.

Perhaps sex increases intimacy with your partner and a sense of connection. Maybe sex releases certain hormones that are known to decrease as we age. Maybe energetic sex is a form of physical activity?

Being biologically young isn't easy, but it's worth it. The benefits of being young are too great to ignore. Following these principles, even in old age, you will be smart, strong, energetic and remain biologically younger than your peers.

Changing perspectives on aging

Illness and disability were once considered an integral part of aging, but this is no longer the case. Aging is an inevitable process, but older people can be healthy and active at their age. Observance of simple (at first glance) rules will help slow down aging:

• Healthy diet
• Antioxidants, vitamins and phytonutrients
• Resveratol
• Reasonable calorie restriction (mainly due to sugar and fast carbohydrates)
• Strength and aerobic training
• Support for hormonal status
• quality sleep
• Happy love

For inspiration and the beginning of a new life, an excerpt from their film Highlander and the famous song Who Wants to Live Forever performed by Queen.

Aging is an inevitable, natural process that humanity has always dreamed of definitively unraveling and one day defeating. Someone was driven by pride, the desire to equal God. Someone simply dreamed that people dear to their hearts would always remain young, beautiful, healthy and live forever.

The concept itself is multifaceted. It means changes that occur over time, which can have both positive and negative effects. In relation to things, aging is not always tantamount to destruction. Sometimes it can indicate an improvement in quality over the years, as is the case with wine. Speaking of biological aging, they mean the gradual deterioration of the functions and properties of the body, leading to inevitable death.

The English writer Aldous Leonard Huxley very accurately described the attitude of people towards the aging of their own body: “The knowledge that any ambition is doomed to disappointment in the hands of a skeleton has never prevented most human beings from living as if death were nothing more than an unfounded rumor.” However, science has always tried to learn about why and how age-related changes occur, and to learn how to resist them.

Human aging is a series of biological metamorphoses that occur during natural development, from birth to maturity, old age and death. For most people, old age is characterized by:

• graying or thinning hair;
• loss of skin tone;
• the formation of wrinkles;
• decrease in muscle strength;
• bone loss, etc.

Active lifestyle, including physical exercise, proper nutrition, can slow down the aging process and contribute to a long and productive life. Genetics (inherited physical characteristics) also play a role in aging and death. People whose parents or grandparents live before old age are more likely to live long.

Thanks to advances in science, changes in living conditions, the aging process of humanity today takes place over a longer period of time than ever before. Great strides have been made in economically developed countries, where the aging of the population has been slowed down, and the average life expectancy today reaches 85 years. This is due to several factors:

• successful social and demographic policies against the rapid aging of the population;
• elimination of many diseases early childhood and adolescence;
• development of advanced treatments for diseases that in the past led to early death.

However, human aging is the main cause of suffering, disease and death in our time.

Gerontology, biogerontology and other sciences study the aging process and try to find ways to prevent age-related pathologies and destruction of the body, maintain health and prolong human life. The most ambitious, promising goal of scientists is slow aging. Many dream of developing a "magic pill" that will reverse this process.

At the same time, scientists are discussing the possible social consequences of a radical increase in human life expectancy, in connection with possible scientific breakthroughs in the fight against aging.

Each species has a different normal lifespan. In most organisms, death occurs shortly after the reproductive phase of life ends. This is not so obvious in relation to people. However, the aging of a woman occurs quite rapidly, when the childbearing age ends and menopause begins.

Levels of the hormone estrogen begin to fall, which leads to the gradual cessation or cessation of menstrual bleeding. After menopause when menstrual bleeding completely stop, which means conception, pregnancy and childbirth are no longer possible, the active process of aging of a woman starts:

• a decrease in the level of female sex hormones leads to the fact that the ovaries and uterus are reduced; vaginal tissues become thinner, drier, less elastic, atrophic vaginitis develops, which in severe cases is accompanied by itching, bleeding, pain during intercourse;
• Some of the changes that begin around menopause (such as lower hormone levels and vaginal dryness) may interfere with sexual activity.
• sebaceous glands in the skin produce less secret, which leads to the rapid formation of wrinkles, aging of the face, body;
• along with skin aging, negative changes in the musculoskeletal system occur, there is a high risk of developing osteoporosis (bone fragility);
• the state of the circulatory system deteriorates sharply;
• often develop cardiopathology, etc.

Intensive aging of a woman has common features with age-related changes in men. So the aging of the skin of the face in both sexes occurs under the influence of free radicals.

Free radicals are normal by-products of biochemical reactions in the body that take place using oxygen. However, the accumulation of free radicals is often the result of negative impact environment. It can change the functions of cells, causing them to be damaged.

Under the influence of free radicals, proteins can be transformed, including collagen, which is one of the main components of connective tissue, which provides support for organs and elasticity of blood vessels. Cross-linking changes the form and function of collagen molecules.

In men, the change in the level of sex hormones is less sudden. A decrease in testosterone production leads to a decrease in sperm production and the extinction of sexual desire (libido). But these changes in the body of men occur gradually.

Although blood flow to the penis gradually deteriorates, most men can have erections and orgasms throughout their lives. However, the erection is reduced in time, more stimulation is required to maintain it. The interval between erections increases.

Erectile dysfunction (impotence) is associated with diseases that affect the blood supply to the genitals, including:

• cardiopathology;
• atherosclerosis;
• diabetes.

Skin aging in the stronger sex occurs gradually, there are no jumps characteristic of the fair sex during. At the age of 45 years and beyond, their sebaceous glands produce a stable amount of secretion, so facial aging is slower compared to similar aging processes in women, and the stronger sex is less prone to early wrinkling.

Also, gradually, there is a process of aging of muscles, ligaments and bones in men. At the equator of life, most of those who lead a healthy lifestyle are still in excellent physical shape.

However, the aging of the cells of the male body gradually occurs, as a result, the body becomes less able to perform its normal functions:

• muscles lose strength;
• hearing and vision become less acute;
• reflexes slow down;
• erectile dysfunction develops;
• lung capacity decreases;
• the ability of the heart to pump blood deteriorates;
• the immune system is weakened and cannot effectively fight infections and diseases.

Progeria: premature aging in children

This pathology is also known as Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome. It is an extremely rare genetic disorder.

The word itself comes from the Greek adjective progeros, which translates as "prematurely old."

Pathology manifests itself in childhood. Due to premature aging, the child is rapidly turning into a "little old man." There are various forms of progeria, but the classic variant is clinical picture is Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome.

In the world there are, according to various sources, 350-400 people diagnosed with premature aging. It is believed that pathology occurs with a frequency of 1 case per 20 million newborns of both sexes and all ethnic groups. One person in 4-8 million has a chance of becoming a parent of a child with progeria. Parents who already have a child with progeria have a 2-3% risk of having a child with the disease again.

When born, a baby with this genetic disorder looks like normal newborn. Signs of premature aging appear for the first time in the time period from 10 months to 2 years of his life.

Symptoms of pathology:

• problems associated with growth;
• lack of subcutaneous fat and muscle mass;
• hair loss, including eyelashes and eyebrows;
• early signs of skin aging;
• frequent hip dysplasia;
• change in mobility in other joints;
• visible veins;
• atherosclerosis, which is complicated by cardiopathologies.

Despite belonging to a particular ethnic group, patients with progeria have a similar appearance. For those diagnosed with premature aging, unusual features are characteristic:

• head larger than usual;
• small jaw bones;
• thin nose resembling a beak;
• protruding ears;
• visible blood vessels;
• slow development and change in the shape of teeth;
• high, shrill voice.

Progeria does not affect the development of the brain of the child and his intelligence, and it is not contagious, contrary to the assertions of some ignoramuses.

Different types of plants and animals age differently. For example, some reptiles, fish, and mammals are characterized by delayed or negligible aging. So Carolina box turtles live up to 138 years. Icelandic cyprina (bivalve mollusk) lives to be 400 years old.

Most of the biochemical reactions that provide human life, long before the emergence of multicellular organisms, were developed by single-celled bacteria. These single-celled organisms reproduce themselves by dividing into two equal halves. Some of their descendants are still thriving today. They live, share and, apparently, do not age. Scientists have found some evidence that the processes of growth and division are important factors in keeping these cells young.

When multicellular organisms develop, some of their cells (germ cells) are destined to become sperm or eggs as part of the next generation. The other cells (somas) that make up the body will never become part of the offspring. Non-dividing cells gradually die, leading to aging and death of the body.

In humans, some species somatic cells never divide again after reaching maturity. The brain, skeletal muscles and heart contain a large number of postmitotic cells.

human aging

This is a progressive deterioration of physiological functions associated with increased vulnerability to negative environmental factors, leading to a loss of viability.

This phenomenon is a complex process consisting of several features:

• an increase in the likelihood of death with age;
• physiological changes, which, as a rule, lead to a decrease in the functionality of the body;
• increased susceptibility to certain diseases.

In the broadest sense, human aging reflects all the changes that occur during life:

• growth;
• development;
• reaching maturity.

For young people, aging is just growing up, with some benefits: curfews lifted and late bedtimes, greater independence.

In adulthood, this process is somewhat different attitude. The joy of a new candle disappears, among others crowning a birthday cake. It is hard not to notice some harmless, but not pleasant cosmetic changes: gray hair, wrinkles. Middle age is also the time when people start to notice decline. physical form. Even professional athletes are not able to avoid these changes.

For example, a recent study of marathon runners found that their running literally slowed down as they got older. Some decline in physical abilities is a normal sign of aging.

It begins at conception and continues for as long as we live. At any point in time, throughout life, the state of the organism depends on the genetic component and environmental experience. The stages of aging of an organism reflect the genetic ability to adapt and "repair", as well as the cumulative damage from pathological processes.

Today it is customary to conditionally divide old age into several periods:

• early - from 65 to 74 years;
• medium - from 75 to 84 years;
• late - from 85 years.

As we age, all body systems show a decline in performance. Growth, tissue regeneration slows down and their degeneration begins. Although the aging of each person has individual characteristics, there are common signs that are characteristic of each of the systems.

For example, aging of lung tissue cells begins to occur, lung function worsens, and the area of ​​the alveolar surface decreases.

Old age is accompanied by a generalized reduction in the production and activity of hormones. Metabolic disorders are more common in the elderly.

Diabetes is a frequent companion of old age. This pathology has many causes, but the main mechanism involves the inability of skeletal muscles to absorb glucose. The effect of aging is that over time they become less sensitive to insulin.

Recent studies show that older people are often at risk of nutritional deficiencies. This is due to the fact that in old age, the threshold of satiety decreases in people against the background of hormonal changes and disorders in the functioning of the nervous system.

Theories of aging

There are many concepts that try to explain the causes of aging. The most famous of them are the following theories of aging:

• disposable soma;
• accumulation of mutations;
• hormonal-genetic;
• mitochondrial;
• epigenetic;
• free radicals;
• mitochondrial;
• somatic mutations;
• evolutionary-genetic.

No theory of aging is able to explain all aspects of this process, but most of them take one of two approaches:

• people are genetically programmed to grow old and die;
• natural wear and tear is an explanation of the cause of aging and death.

According to the hormonal theory of aging, the main culprit of negative age-related changes in the body is the hypothalamus, which controls the production of hormones that affect growth and development. It is believed that over time, its sensitivity increases and hormonal imbalance develops, which is the main cause of aging.

Numerous studies have shown that human cells grown in the laboratory divide about 50 times before they die. The exceptions are cancer cells, which have unlimited growth, and some brain and muscle cells that do not divide after birth. According to cell theory aging, with a decrease in cell division in the body of an elderly person, the functioning of the body also begins to slow down, which leads to aging and, ultimately, death.

One more scientific theory suggests that genes change as a result of random mutations that accumulate over time, gradually leading to the effect of aging, disease. Environmental factors such as x-rays, ultraviolet radiation and toxic chemicals can all contribute to this process. All cells have the ability to repair damaged DNA, but sometimes the repair mechanisms fail, and mutations accumulate, which are also a factor in the development of cancer.

Aging is a biological process of age-related deterioration of functions and properties. The science of human aging teeters at the intersection of conflicting theories and puzzling data.

Gerontologists have not yet come to an agreement as to how the actual aging of the body differs from diseases, old age.

Medical science today has studied quite well many of the signs of aging, changes in cells, tissues and organs that occur with age. Human life is maintained through a variety of biochemical reactions that affect the physical state bodies and mind. Pathological age-related changes are observed in the speed and effectiveness of many of these reactions. However, many of these changes are secondary effects of aging rather than primary causes.

It seems that the cause of aging is a complex of different mechanisms that operate in parallel and interact with each other to create changes throughout life. Including, these are the processes of oxidation, glycosylation, etc.

Signs of human aging

Gerontologists are trying to find the reason why older people are becoming more vulnerable to disease and disability. For example, a long-term study of the Institute on Aging in Baltimore (BLSA) has been ongoing since 1958. A group of volunteers is examined many times over a long period of time. In the course of it, many curious discoveries were made (about 800!). In particular, scientists have come to the conclusion that even those people who remain healthy, retain good cognitive abilities, lose a significant part of their brain volume at the end of their lives. And this is a completely normal sign of aging.

Some of the changes that people used to see as normal signs of aging may actually be signs of potential disease. For example, sudden changes in personality. Among the townsfolk, there is a persistent belief that a person becomes irritable, depressed, withdrawn, becoming older. However, an analysis of long-term data, as part of the Baltimore study, showed that the personality of an adult, as a rule, does not change after 30 years. Young merry fellows and jokers remain the same, celebrating anniversary after anniversary. Scientists suggest that significant personality changes are not normal signs of aging. On the contrary, they can be early symptoms of illness, dementia.

The rate and progress of cell aging can vary greatly from person to person. But as a rule, the effect of aging is inherent in the cells of every organ of the body. Moreover, changes can begin quite early.

• For example, at the age of 20 lung tissue begins to lose elasticity, and the muscles of the chest contract a little more slowly. As a result, maximum amount air that the body receives during inspiration decreases.
• In the intestines, the production of digestive enzymes is reduced, which affects the ability to absorb nutrients and maintain their balance in the body.
• Fat deposits accumulate in the blood vessels. They lose flexibility, atherosclerosis develops.

Although scientists have studied the main signs of aging well, questions remain at the most basic level:

• what is the main cause of aging in tissues and cells;
• why pathological changes occur;
• what are the biological processes underlying these changes.

How well the organs perform the functions assigned to them by nature depends on the state of their cells. In some organs and tissues, dead cells are not replaced by new ones, and their number decreases. The number of cells in the testes, ovaries, liver, kidneys markedly decreases as the body ages. When the number of cells becomes too low, the organ cannot function properly. Thus, the functionality of most organs and systems decreases in old age.

Not all organs lose large numbers of cells. For example, healthy older people retain most of their brain cells. Significant losses occur mainly in patients who have had a stroke or in elderly people who are susceptible to progressive loss of nerve cells, neurodegenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.

Decreased function of one organ, due to disease or natural aging, can affect the function of another. For example, if blood vessels narrow as a result of atherosclerosis, the functioning of the kidneys worsens, as the blood flow to them decreases.

Often the first signs of aging are observed on the part of the musculoskeletal system. Decreased visual acuity. Hearing gets worse.

Most features internal organs also deteriorate with age. The functional capabilities of the body reach their peak shortly before the 30th birthday, and then their gradual but continuous decline begins. But even with this decline, most of the functions remain adequate, as most organs begin to use the functional reserve.

For example, if half of the liver cells are destroyed, the remaining healthy ones are more than enough to maintain the normal function of the organ.

Not gradual aging, but pathologies, as a rule, are responsible for the loss of functionality of organs and systems in old age.

While many functions remain adequate, the decline in others makes older people less able to withstand a variety of stresses, including:

• excessive physical activity;
• extreme temperature changes in the environment;
• psychoemotional disorders.

Some organs are characterized by delayed aging. Others have a chance to "fail" earlier, for example:

• heart;
• blood vessels;
• urinary organs;
• genitals;
• brain.

The main function of the skin is to protect the body from the environment. This is achieved by creating a barrier that regulates temperature, retains liquid and absorbs ultraviolet radiation.

• With age, the dermis decreases in thickness by about 20%.
• As it becomes thinner, it loses its normal blood supply and sensitivity.
• The ability to retain internal heat is deteriorating.
• The skin becomes fragile.
• Aging of the skin of the face and hands begins before age-related changes in the dermis of other areas of the body.
• Regeneration slows down.
• The number of sweat and sebaceous glands decreases, their productivity decreases.
• Wrinkles appear.
• The number of neurons that provide sensitivity to the skin decreases by 30% over a period of 10 to 90 years.
• Subcutaneous fat deposits change in the elderly. Muscles, blood vessels and bones become more visible under the skin due to the thinning of the subcutaneous fatty tissue of the extremities. Fat deposits accumulate mainly on the abdomen and thighs.
• Skin aging goes hand in hand with metabolic disorders.

• With age, the bones decrease in size, their density decreases.
• They become brittle.
• The risk of fractures increases.
• Often people get a little shorter with age.
• Muscles tend to lose strength and flexibility.
• Disrupted coordination.
• There are problems balancing the body in space.

Muscle tissue is the main producer of energy, which is released as a result of complex metabolic processes. When muscles contract, heat is generated. It is necessary to maintain normal body temperature, which ensures the success of various biochemical reactions.

• Already in the third decade, a general decrease in the size, elasticity and strength of muscle tissue begins.
• Loss of muscle mass continues throughout later life. Muscle fibers become smaller in diameter, due to a decrease in the reserves of ATP, glycogen, myoglobin and a decrease in the number of myofibrils.
• As a result, as the body ages, muscle activity decreases. A person needs to make more efforts to complete the task.

Bones become weaker and more fragile with age. In women, bone density loss accelerates after menopause because estrogen production decreases, which helps prevent bone breakdown.

Bones become less dense, in part because they contain less calcium. The amount of this mineral decreases as the body absorbs less calcium from food. In addition, levels of vitamin D, which helps the body use calcium, may also decrease.

Some are weakened more than others. Most vulnerable:

• the head of the femur, which makes up the hip joint;
• radial and ulnar ends of the bones of the hand on the wrist;
• bones of the spine (vertebrae).

To prevent bone destruction, degeneration of joints, muscles, and at the same time to slow down the aging of the skin of the face and body, experts recommend increasing calcium intake.

• The general recommendation for older adults is 1,000 mg of calcium per day.
• Women who have entered menopause and men who have “exchanged” their eighth decade are recommended to additionally increase their daily intake of this mineral by 200 mg.
• If a person is not getting the recommended amount from their diet, a doctor may recommend calcium supplements.

Another human ally in the fight against aging of the musculoskeletal system is vitamin D.

• Adults are recommended to consume 600 international units (IU) of this nutrient per day.
• The recommended dose may be increased by 200 IU for the elderly, after 70 years of age.

Residents of warm countries do not experience a lack of vitamin D, thanks to sunlight. But residents of northern latitudes in winter often have its deficiency.

Physical activity helps against aging of bones, joints, muscles. Walking and running are especially helpful in slowing down bone loss and strengthening your musculoskeletal system.

The levels and activity of some hormones produced by the endocrine glands decrease with age.

• In particular, the level of growth hormone decreases, which leads to loss of muscle mass.
• The level of aldosterone decreases, which increases the risk of dehydration.
• Insulin, which helps control blood sugar levels, becomes less effective and resistance develops. And also its production may decrease.

Since it is responsible for moving glucose from the blood to the cells, where it can be converted into energy, age-related changes provoke jumps in blood glucose levels after eating. Moreover, it takes more time for this indicator to return to normal state. Metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes develop.

To prevent insulin resistance and related pathologies, regular fitness classes and a special diet are recommended.

Cells of the immune system lose their former activity with age. Their functions are to search for and destroy foreign substances, such as:

• dangerous bacteria;
• cancer cells.

The decline in immune system activity may partly explain several phenomena associated with aging:

• oncological pathologies are more common in older people;
• vaccines tend to provide less protection for older people;
• some infectious diseases (pneumonia, influenza, etc.) are more common among the elderly and more likely to lead to death.

With age, allergy symptoms in patients may become less severe. As the activity of the immune system decreases, autoimmune diseases become less pronounced.

Although the immune system declines with age, the main hallmark of aging is an increase in inflammation. This is evidenced by increased levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, which may contribute to the development of several age-associated pathologies, such as:

• Alzheimer's disease;
• atherosclerosis;
• arthritis.

The human body changes with age, due to changes that occur in individual cells and in entire organs, which lead to dysfunctions of systems and change the appearance of people.

In the course of a person's life, the molecular functioning of vital components of cells deteriorates, including:

• membranes;
• extracellular matrix;
• enzymes;
• structural proteins.

Violations accumulate faster than the body corrects them, resulting in irreversible, progressive changes. Old and defective molecules accumulate inside and outside the cells.

The redox potential of some cells changes in response to these chemical modifications. This leads to a change in gene expression, affects the activity of enzymes, changes in signaling pathways. Cellular mechanisms recycling and repairs are slowing down. Some damaged cells release chemicals that harm other, healthy cells.

The neuroendocrine and immune systems are among the first to become victims of cell aging, their balance is disturbed, they are able to send chemical signals that trigger the mechanism of approaching death in various tissues. The processes of apoptosis and necrosis begin, especially among non-dividing cells of the heart, skeletal muscles and the substantia nigra of the brain. The functionality and condition of organs and tissues deteriorate over time, due to the fact that their cells die, and stem cells stop dividing, and tissue regeneration no longer occurs.

In 1952, English biologist Sir Peter Brian Medawar defined aging as "a set of changes that increase a person's chances of dying." Indeed, every sign of aging in the human body leads to a rapid increase in pathological age-related changes and the risk of death, soon after the end of maturity. Evidence of this is the demographic indicators of population aging and causes of death.

Scientists believe that a variety of variations are observed not only in the rate of facial aging, but also in the quality of internal age-related changes that occur in all older people. They depend on:

• family history;
• lifestyle;
• accumulated during childhood, adolescence, adulthood, injuries, pathologies, etc.

Obviously, human aging is associated with a wide range of physiological changes that not only increase the risk of death, but also limit normal functions, making it more susceptible to a number of diseases.

Although some functions, such as hearing and flexibility, begin to deteriorate early in a child's life, active functional decline begins after the peak of sexual activity, around the age of 19 years.

Population aging, as shown by demographic mortality rates, is growing exponentially. The decline in human functionality tends towards a linear graph. It is characterized by gradual changes:

• decrease in height and weight, due to loss of muscle and bone mass;
• slowing down the metabolic rate;
• increase in time spent on reactions;
• decrease in some memory functions;
• decreased sexual activity;
• menopause in women;
• functional decrease in hearing, smell and vision;
• deterioration of kidney function;
• suppression of immune function;
• decrease in physical performance;
• multiple endocrine changes.

The most common diseases of the elderly, the number of which increases with age, are:

• cardiopathology;
• type 2 diabetes;
• arthritis;
• kidney disease.

The incidence of some pathologies, such as sinusitis, remains relatively constant throughout adulthood. And the frequency of asthma episodes is even on the decline.

The most common causes of death in the elderly are:

• heart diseases;
• cerebrovascular disease;
• Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases;
• pneumonia and other chronic respiratory diseases.

• Over the years, the pulse of an elderly person becomes slower, the heart may increase.
• The walls of blood vessels lose their elasticity, as a result, the load on the heart increases.
• Blood pressure rises more often, hypertension and other cardiopathologies develop.

• walking;
• swimming;
• cycling, etc.

It is also important to eat a healthy diet. The menu should have more functional products:

• vegetables;
• whole grains;
• fruits;
• edible algae;
• leafy greens;
• nuts;
• fishes.

• added sugar;
• trans fats;
• table salt.

• stop smoking, as addiction leads to pathological change arteries, increased blood pressure and heart rate;
• fight the effects of psycho-emotional stress through effective relaxation;
• get enough sleep, as the quality of sleep plays an important role in the health of the heart and blood vessels.

In general, the digestive system is less affected by aging than most other parts of the body.

• The tone of the muscles of the esophagus is slightly reduced, but this does not significantly affect the movement of food.
• Food is removed from the stomach a little slower. It cannot accommodate the previous volumes, as it becomes less elastic. But in most people who lead a healthy lifestyle and do not have chronic pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), all these changes are insignificant.

However, certain age-related changes in the gastrointestinal tract cause common problems in some relatively healthy people.

Because the body produces less lactase, the enzyme that digests milk, with age, older people are more likely to develop lactose intolerance. There are complaints of increased gas formation, diarrhea after eating dairy products.

The movement in the colon slows down a bit. As a result, the risk of constipation increases. Many factors can exacerbate the problem, including:

• diet low in fiber;
• lack of liquid in the diet; taking certain medications (diuretics, iron preparations, etc.);
• some chronic pathologies (diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.).

The liver tends to become smaller as the number of its cells decreases. In addition, the production of enzymes is reduced. With age, this organ clears smaller volumes of blood, which leads to an increase in the toxic load on the body.

senile dementia

The nervous system changes with age. There is loss of neurons, both in the brain and in the spinal cord. However, the body can partially compensate for these losses in several ways:

• as some neurons die, new connections are formed between the rest of the nerve cells;
• new nerve cells can form in some areas of the brain, even in old age;
• the brain has more cells than it needs to do most activities.

Levels of chemicals involved in message passing influence age-related changes in the brain. Most of them are decreasing, but some are increasing. Nerve cells may lose some of the receptors that transmit signals. The blood flow to the brain is reduced. As a result, functional characteristics and cognitive capabilities deteriorate.

Older people are slower to react and perform various tasks. Some mental functions, such as short-term memory, the acquisition of new knowledge, the ability to recall words, may decline after age 70.

Around the age of 60, the number of spinal cord cells begins to decrease. This change can affect strength or feel.

As a person ages, neurons lose their dendrites, which impairs synaptic transmission. A person distinguishes smells, tastes worse, loses sight, touch and hearing over time.

Depression can be the result of impaired synaptic activity. Studies show that about 25% of residents of nursing homes have signs of this mental disorder. Depression is one of the most common (reversible) causes of weight loss.

Science has long been looking for ways to combat aging. To reduce the rate of pathological age-related changes, modern medicine uses:

• special diets;
• hormone therapy;
• antioxidants;
• stem cells, etc.

Particular progress has been made in the field of cosmetology, which today has learned to "slow down" the aging of the face. With the help of salon procedures, thalassotherapy, creams, skin aging can be slowed down.

Delayed aging and proper nutrition

A number of diets, drugs and food additives people attribute the effectiveness against aging. Unfortunately, the hype around some of them is often undeserved. However, some healthy eating habits and foods do slow down the onset of old age.

• atherosclerosis;
• obesity;
• cognitive impairment;
• some types of cancer, etc.

A recent study compared the calorie intake of Japanese sumo wrestlers (they live an average of 56 years) and Okinawan men on a low-calorie diet (their average life expectancy is 77 years). The conclusion was obvious: a high-calorie diet is harmful to health and reduces life expectancy.

With age, the fight against chronic dehydration of the body is especially relevant. Many older people do not drink enough water, simply because they are used to drinking little. This leads to a violation of hydration at the cellular level. The cause of such common age-related complaints as chronic fatigue, headaches, constipation, very often there is a lack of fluid. Therefore, experts recommend drinking at least 8 cups of water a day.

In addition, specialists in therapeutic and preventive nutrition advise to include the following products in the menu more often:

• vegetables, whole grains, fruits, legumes and others that are rich in dietary fiber and help regulate the digestive system, lower cholesterol, blood pressure, chronic inflammation, control blood sugar and reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity;
• blueberry, rich in vitamins C and E, antioxidants that can prevent or reduce cell damage;
• salmon, herring, sardines and other sea ​​fish high in omega-3 fatty acids;
• olive oil, which helps reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and increase "good" (HDL) in the blood;
• natural yogurt, which is a good source of calcium and prevents bone loss with age.

Nobody wants to look older than their chronological age. Although it is customary to say that wrinkles are witnesses of what has been experienced, a kind of “road map” of life, but hardly anyone likes to see a face in the mirror that resembles a contour map of the world. Therefore, humanity has long been struggling with the signs of facial skin aging, and has been very successful in this fight.

People have come up with 1000 + 1 home remedies. Professional cosmetologists and scientists have developed many high-tech anti-aging procedures. The beauty industry offers miraculous anti-aging serums and creams. Much, for the prevention of age-related changes in the dermis, a person can do on their own by changing their lifestyle, habitual diet, routine of daily skin care.

Creams and other anti-aging cosmetics

The main cause of premature wrinkles is sun exposure. "Healthy" tanning, including in solariums, leads to irreversible changes in the cellular structure of the dermis. Most wrinkles appear precisely because of ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, the usual day cream is not enough, only those beauty products for day care that have an additional sun protection effect effectively prevent aging.

The hands and face are especially vulnerable to solar damage due to the fact that these parts of the body are often within reach of ultraviolet rays. Even in winter, experts recommend using creams with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 for the face and hands.

The basis of human skin is a layer consisting of a plexus of collagen and elastin, proteins that provide the ability of the skin to stretch. When the dermis is stretched, the protein matrix acts like a spring to pull it back. As we age, the network of collagen-elastin fibers weakens, the dermis loses its support, sagging under the influence of Earth's gravity.

Therefore, it is important that beauty products, including serums and anti-aging creams for the skin of the face, hands and body, contain collagen, elastin and active ingredients that stimulate their production. If the composition of cosmetics contains only hydrolyzed elastin or marine collagen, the effect of them will be insufficient to prevent negative age-related changes. But they will help improve the hydration of the dermis.

In order for an anti-aging product to slow down the decrease in tone and the appearance of wrinkles, to keep the skin young, it must contain:

• peptides;
• hyaluronic acid;
• retinol;
• copper;
• vitamin C;
• sulfur;
• zinc;
• vitamin K;
• linoleic acid;
• niacinamide;
• vitamin E and some other active substances.

However, anti-aging cosmetics cannot significantly affect the production of elastin and collagen, as they have a superficial effect on the skin. Special salon procedures have the best effect.

To "wake up" the cells of the dermis, start the production of elastin and collagen, delay aging, modern cosmetology offers a variety of professional procedures:

• placentotherapy;
• plasmolifting;
• mesotherapy;
• biorevitalization;
• ridolysis;
• phototherapy, etc.

Home anti-aging care should include:

• the use of special products focused on a certain age, gender, type of dermis;
• regular mechanical and chemical peeling at home;
• face and body masks that improve skin hydration, dermis tone;
• a balanced and varied diet that satisfies the body's need for all vitamins and minerals.

Exercise for the mind and prevention of senile dementia

Cognitive abilities often decline with age. It takes more time to understand new information, remember familiar words, remember dates, names famous people. Some preventive advice allow you to save memory, despite old age.

• Experts advise regular exercise. Physical activity increases blood flow to all organs and systems of the body, including the brain.
• Proper nutrition also benefits the brain. The basis of a healthy menu should be herbal products. Experts recommend choosing protein products with a low content of saturated fatty acids, for example: fish, skinless poultry, lean meats.
• Overuse alcohol can lead to "confusion" in the head, so it is better to give up "strong" drinks.
• "Fitness" for the brain also helps prevent age-related cognitive impairment. It is useful to solve crossword puzzles, choose new routes for car trips and hiking to learn musical instruments.
• Communication in society helps drive away stress and depressive states that contribute to cognitive decline. You should use every opportunity to meet with family and friends, telephone conversations, correspondence.
• Reduction in elevated blood pressure correlates with a reduction in vascular disease and may reduce the risk of dementia.
• Some studies have shown that smoking in middle and old age can increase the likelihood of developing dementia. Quitting smoking can reduce the risk and rate of degenerative brain changes.

If a person or his relatives notice a deterioration in memory, you should consult a doctor, as a serious illness may be hidden behind seemingly completely natural changes.