Why does aging occur "cliff-like" after the age of 70? Do these things to slow down aging

This article was reviewed by Zhu Hongjian, Chief Physician, Beijing Jiangong Hospital

For many older people, they can still maintain the state of their 40s and 50s. However, once they enter their 70s, many people will find that all aspects of their health are not as good as before.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

So, what factors lead to "cliff-like" aging after the age of 70?

Why does “cliff-like” aging occur after age 70?

On June 1, in a latest study published in the authoritative journal Nature, a research team led by the University of Cambridge discovered a process that causes "catastrophic" changes in the blood composition of the elderly, explaining why people suddenly become old and weak after they reach their 70s.

The research team analyzed the bone marrow blood cells of 10 subjects ranging in age from newborns to 81 years old. By sequencing the whole genome of 3,579 blood stem cells, all somatic mutations contained in each cell were identified. It was found that after the age of 70, the structure and differentiation pattern of human hematopoietic stem cell populations changed dramatically.

The blood cells produced by adults under 65 years old come from 20,000 to 200,000 stem cells. In contrast, the blood cell sources of the elderly population over 70 years old have dropped significantly, and may even only differentiate from 10 to 20 stem cells.

Further analysis found that these "highly active" stem cells often accumulate a large number of mutations, and their number will further expand due to the drive of somatic cell mutation processes, eventually occupying a dominant position in the human bone marrow, causing an irreversible decrease in the diversity of blood cell populations in the elderly, disrupting the production of normal functional mature blood cells, and inducing numerous aging-related diseases.

"For the first time, we show that mutations that accumulate gradually throughout life can lead to 'catastrophic' changes in the number of blood cells in old age," said the researchers. "This exponential growth explains why the body suddenly becomes fragile after the age of 70 and people feel visibly older."

Do these things to slow down the aging process!

Although no one can stay young forever, you can age slower. The human body also ages on a timetable. If you can prevent aging early, you will look younger than others.

1. Prevent lung aging - quit smoking in time

Tobacco is the main cause of lung diseases. Not only active smokers, but also passive smokers who inhale second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke for a long time have a higher incidence of lung diseases. Zhu Xiaoli, chief physician of the respiratory department of Zhongda Hospital affiliated to Southeast University, introduced in an article in 2016 that the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is also increased by 48% for those who inhale second-hand smoke for a long time.

One of the most important ways to delay lung aging is to quit smoking. As long as you quit smoking, your body will benefit, and the sooner you quit smoking, the greater the benefit.

2. Prevent brain aging - use your brain frequently

Do you feel that your brain is reacting slower and slower? Your memory is getting worse and worse? Your ability to learn new knowledge is also declining?

It may be that the brain is aging! The so-called brain aging is actually related to sub-health problems such as high stress in our lives, staying up late for a long time, going to bed late, and brain fatigue.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

The brain is an organ that deteriorates if you use it or lose it. Frequent use of the brain will cause multiple cerebral blood vessels to dilate, and the brain tissue will have adequate blood and nutrient supply, thus providing a material basis for delaying brain aging.

3. Prevent liver aging – maintain body weight

It is often said that obesity accelerates aging! This is not without basis.

In 2014, researchers discovered for the first time that obesity can accelerate the aging of an individual's liver, and the relevant research results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PANS).

The study found that for every 10 increase in body mass index (BMI), the epigenetic age of the liver will increase by 3.3 years. For example, a woman with a height of 1.65 meters and a weight of 63.5 kilograms has a BMI of 23.3, and another woman with the same height but a weight of 90.7 kilograms has a BMI of 33.3. The latter's liver will be more than 3 years older than the former's liver.

Researchers say that for some people, obesity can cause significant aging effects, sometimes up to 10 years.

4. Prevent bone aging - calcium supplement + vitamin D

The occurrence of osteoporosis is closely related to the accumulation of basic bone mass and the loss of bone mass with aging. If you can accumulate a good bone mass foundation when you are young, you will lose less when you are older, and your bones will naturally be stronger.

Xu Hailin, chief physician of the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics at Peking University People's Hospital, pointed out in an article in 2020 that maintaining bone mass is inseparable from calcium and vitamin D supplementation.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Especially for women after menopause, estrogen secretion decreases and they are prone to osteoporosis. At this time, they should take vitamin D and calcium supplements appropriately under the guidance of a doctor to maintain normal bone mass.

5. Prevent skin aging – protect yourself from the sun

Wang Baoxi, chief physician of the Department of Dermatology at the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, pointed out in an article in 2018 that if you want your skin to age more slowly, the secret is to avoid light and sunscreen.

During the skin aging process, photoaging is the most important cause of skin aging. Direct sunlight not only makes people darker, but also accelerates skin moisture loss and skin aging, aggravates freckles, and may breed wrinkles. If you don’t do much outdoor activities and usually stay indoors, you should still apply sunscreen every day in summer; if you do more outdoor activities, it is best to apply sunscreen all year round. Generally, choose SPF20~30 sunscreen, and apply it every 2 hours if conditions permit; if you go to the beach, choose SPF50 or above sunscreen, and it is best to wear a hat, sunglasses, etc. when going out.

6. Prevent muscle aging - moderate exercise

Muscles follow the principle of "use it or lose it". Therefore, if you do not exercise or sit or lie down for a long time, you will experience muscle loss, atrophy, and functional degeneration. This is also the main reason for muscle deficiency in young people.

To keep muscle from being lost, you should first exercise properly, including aerobic exercise and resistance training, such as strength training with dumbbells and resistance bands, but you must do it within your ability to avoid strain. At the same time, adjust your diet to ensure adequate intake of high-quality protein.

Finally, I want to tell everyone that to prevent or delay aging, we still need to do more things that are beneficial to our body.

There are many ways we can change and many aspects we need to pay attention to, but overall this is a correct attitude towards life. If you think health is important and want to avoid aging, you have to give up some things and live a more disciplined life.

Even if it's just walking a few more steps, even if you quit smoking from today, eating less heavy and greasy food, not eating too salty or too sweet food, these are all good ways to protect your body.

Source: Health Times

This article has been authorized. Please contact the original author for reprinting.

The watermarked images and cover images in this article are from the copyright gallery and are not authorized for reproduction