Does each organ in the body have an aging timetable?

As we age, the functions of various organs in the human body gradually decline, and even a small external stimulus can easily lead to falls, hospitalization, etc. Only by understanding the key time points, being prepared to deal with them, and slowing down the pace of aging can we better spend our old age!

Human aging is a gradual and complex process. After the age of 30, especially after the age of 40, various organ functions including brain function, cardiopulmonary function, liver function, hematopoietic function, etc. will gradually decline, and the rate of decline is about 1% to 2% per year. ①

Specifically, what is the aging process of the body like?

1. Heart: Diseases become more common after the age of 40

Men over 45 and women over 55 are more likely to develop heart disease, and men's hearts age ten years earlier than women.

How to slow down the pace of aging?

1) Exercise every day. Developing a habit of regular exercise, 5 times a week, for at least 30 minutes each time, can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

2) A dietary pattern that promotes cardiovascular health includes eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, white meat, beans and nuts, with vegetable oils as the main fat; and eating less red meat, processed meat, alcohol, and foods high in salt, sugar and animal fat.

3) Quit smoking. Smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

4) Lose weight. Get rid of excess body fat and reduce the burden on the heart.

Figure from China's Guide to Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases④

2. Brain: Starts to decline at age 35

In 2020, researchers from the University of Munich and other institutions in Germany published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) pointing out that the cognitive functions of the human brain:

At the age of 35, it reaches its peak and then starts to decline; after the age of 45, the decline rate will accelerate significantly. ⑤

How to slow down the pace of aging?

1) Use your brain frequently. Using your brain frequently will dilate many cerebral blood vessels, providing the brain tissue with sufficient blood and nutrition, thus providing a material basis for delaying brain aging.

2) Do not drink alcohol or smoke. Drinking in one gulp is especially harmful to the brain, which will cause the alcohol concentration in the blood to rise sharply and quickly start the "suicide" program of neuronal cells. ⑥

3) Exercise more. Endurance exercises such as running, breaststroke, and brisk walking are most beneficial to the brain. Dancing can mobilize the nerve functions of multiple areas of the brain at the same time, exercise hand-eye coordination, and play a role in preventing dementia. ⑦

4) Stay up late less. It is recommended to go to bed before 11pm to give your brain enough time to "recover".

3. Lungs: Accelerated aging after age 40

The article "Lung Aging and Its Intervention Research" published in the Journal of Geriatrics and Healthcare in 2019 mentioned that the lungs grow and mature before the age of 20. They reach their best condition between the ages of 20 and 25. As people age, their lung function continues to decline, eventually forming "senile lungs."⑧

Generally, by the age of 40, lung aging will accelerate.

How to slow down the pace of aging?

1) Quit smoking. This is the most important thing you can do to protect your lungs.

2) Abdominal breathing. When you inhale, your belly expands, and when you exhale, your belly sinks. In addition to increasing the amount of oxygen you inhale and protecting your lungs, it can also exercise your diaphragm and give your stomach, liver, spleen, intestines, etc. a gentle massage.

3) Swimming. This is the most popular lung-nourishing exercise.

4. Liver: Starts to age after 45

An article published in the journal of geriatric medicine and health care, Liver Aging and Clinical, in 2011 mentioned that a study involving people aged 20-80 found that the volume of the liver gradually decreases with age. The liver weight of people over 70 years old is 25% less than that of teenagers on average.

The portal vein blood flow rate and blood volume of the liver decrease with age after the age of 45. The liver blood flow of the elderly over 65 years old is 35% lower than that of the young and middle-aged people under 40 years old.

These changes also mean a decline in the liver's metabolic capacity and that the liver is gradually aging.

How to slow down the pace of aging?

1) Maintain a normal weight. Weight gain can accelerate liver aging.

2) Do not drink excessively. When the liver processes alcohol, it produces a large number of free radicals, which accelerate aging and cause disease.

3) Read the instructions before taking medication to avoid drug-induced liver damage.

5. Kidneys: Start to age slowly after the age of 30

Cao Changchun, vice president of the Yifu Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University in Jiangsu and a nephrologist, said in an interview with Yangtze Evening News in 2020 that after the age of 30, people's kidney function is on the decline. Taking the glomerular filtration rate, a kidney function indicator, as an example, the normal person loses 100 ml per minute, so after the age of 30, they will basically lose about 0.5-1 ml every year. ⑪

If there are some unfavorable factors such as underlying diseases or unscientific lifestyles, which are high-risk factors for kidney damage, then kidney function will decline faster.

How to slow down the pace of aging?

1) Go to bed early and get 7-8 hours of sleep. Kidney function declines fastest if you sleep less than 5 hours a night.

2) Don’t eat too much salt. The body needs to excrete excess salt, which will increase the burden on the kidneys. At the same time, eating too much salt can easily cause high blood pressure and impact the kidneys in the long run.

3) Don’t be greedy for meat. A high-protein diet breaks down protein into metabolites such as urea nitrogen and creatinine, which require the kidneys to filter. You can eat meat, but don’t be greedy. ⑪

6. Muscle: Starts to lose after age 30

An article published in the International Journal of Geriatrics in 2012, "Research Progress on Sarcopenia Syndrome", mentioned: After the age of 30, muscle loss is 1-5% per year. After the age of 60, muscle strength decreases by 3-5% per year. After the age of 70, the muscle strength of elderly women will decrease by 50-70%. A muscle loss of 30% will affect normal function, and a loss of 40% will threaten life. ⑫

How to slow down the pace of aging?

1) Supplement protein. Each person should take in at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Eggs, meat, soy milk, etc. are all sources of protein.

2) Participate in resistance exercise appropriately, such as weightlifting, elastic band exercise, etc., to moderately exercise muscles. ⑬

This article is compiled from:

① 2021-03-01 People's Daily Health Client "Heart aging has regular patterns, declining by 1% to 2% each year after the age of 30"

② 2015-12-28 Health Times "Strengthening cardiopulmonary function is necessary to fight aging"

③ 2017-08-04 Health Times "The 20-year-old heart determines the 40-year-old brain"

④ Chinese Guidelines for Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Cardiometabolic Diseases[J]. Chinese Journal of Diabetes, 2020, 012(003):141-162.

⑤ Life cycle patterns of cognitive performance over the long run

https://www.pnas.org/content/117/44/27255

⑥ 2011-05-12 Health Times: "Verifying the Timeline of Organ Aging"

⑦ 2018-08-24 Health Times: "Brisk walking and other endurance exercises are most beneficial to the brain"

⑧ He Guozhong, Zhang Jianqing, Suresh Kumar. Research on lung aging and its intervention[J]. Geriatric Medicine and Health Care, 2019, 25(06): 692-694.

⑨ Du Jie, Xia Shijin, Zheng Songbai. Liver aging and clinical[J]. Geriatric Medicine and Health Care, 2011.17(06):383-385.

⑩ Li Fuzhang. Obese people have faster liver aging[J]. Family Medicine, 2015(4):33-33.

⑪ 2020-03-29 Yangtze Evening News "Experts remind! Sudden kidney failure may be "disease from the mouth""

⑫ Xu Guohui, Zheng Jiejiao, Dong Lu. Research progress on sarcopenia syndrome[J]. International Journal of Geriatrics, 2012, 33(1):11-14.

⑬ 2017-11-10 Health Times "Anti-aging starts with "nurturing muscles""