Anti-aging: image of an elderly couple

Health

Reversing aging and the simple actions that help maintain our youthfulness

By Juman Hijab

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Original date: August 13, 2024  

Updated: August 20, 2024

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Reversing Aging: Simple actions

It’s crucial to understand the connection between our actions and the proteins our bodies produce.

Conclusion:

The common theme is that a magic pill for reversing aging is unlikely to exist. It is up to us to do the simple actions that stimulate the production of those innate factors that promote youthfulness in our cells.

Aging - stages in human development

Reversing aging: People age generations from child to elderly. Image credit: WinWin artlab. . Shutterstock.com, ID: 2012952941.

Promoting versus reversing aging

Imagine waking up one morning and finding your hair has turned white overnight. Or imagine being able to turn back the clock on your aging cells. Sounds like science fiction? Let me share some stories with you.

In this article I want to explore whether we have a choice in promoting or reversing aging through four intriguing stories. As you read, see if you can find the common theme.

Sudden aging or the Marie Antoinette syndrome

The first story is the Marie Antoinette Syndrome. Marie Antoinette’s hair supposedly turned stark white overnight due to severe stress when she was captured during the French Revolution. This dramatic change highlights the impact of stress on our bodies. Scientists believe that extreme stress triggers chemicals like adrenaline, stopping stem cells from producing pigment cells in hair follicles (12).

The second story is more personal. My mother’s neighbor in Amman, Jordan, aged seemingly overnight after her only son’s tragic death. Her hair turned white, she developed severe osteoporosis, and her face wrinkled deeply. This shows how severe emotional stress can accelerate aging.

Reversing Aging; Marie Antoinette syndrome

SherryRose. Marie Antoinette Figurine. Flickr.com, uploaded on December 20, 2008.

Reversing aging: helping our eyes and brain

Now, let’s switch to stories of reversing aging. 

In a groundbreaking study, researchers used special proteins called Yamanaka factors to rejuvenate retinal cells in mice. These proteins turned back the biological clock, improving vision and restoring optic nerve function (3).

The second story comes from Stanford University. Researchers increased the levels of an enzyme (telomerase) that prevents DNA degradation in cells. The treated cells not only lived longer but also exhibited youthful characteristics, effectively reversing cellular aging (4).


There is strong evidence for the importance of telomeres (the caps at the ends of the DNA molecules) in  longevity. and aging. Thus, maintaining telomerase activity, which helps maintain telomere length can slow stem cell aging.  Conversely, losing telomere length has been linked to a number of chronic diseases (5, 6, 7). Moreover, telomere attrition has been linked to atrophy of the memory centers in the brain as well as thinning in the brain cortex (6, 7).

Aging neurons: volume loss and brain shrinkage

Reversing Aging: volume loss and brain shrinkage (also involving the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain). From National Institute of Aging, National Institute of Health.

Reversing aging through the stimulation of innate factors in our body

What’s the common theme in those four stories?

It is that certain molecules can either age us or keep us young.These innate factors are generated in our blood through actions that we take. 

Promoting (or reversing) aging is a direct result of which factors we choose to induce on a regular basis. Here are two examples for how our blood chemistry has a direct effect on the health of one of our major organs - the brain.


Lactic acid keeps the brain less stressed out

Lactic acid plays an important role in brain health, particularly in supporting cells known as astrocytes. These cells perform various brain housekeeping functions such as providing nutrients to neurons as well as keeping the extracellular space around neurons balanced.

In particular, lactic acid in the brain has been linked to decreased oxidative stress, improved synaptic plasticity (which is linked to learning and memory), and overall  neuro-protectiveness. In particular, high intensity exercise produces lactic acid levels that are directly linked to brain health  (8).


Mindfulness meditation and yoga help reverse inflammation as well as protect our DNA

In other studies, mindfulness meditation has been linked to increased telomerase activity and increased telomere length (9, 10). Practices like yoga, meditation, TaiChi, Qigon, and other stress-reducing activities have shown a direct benefit on reducing the inflammatory profile in our bodies (10). Protecting our DNA telomeres is another means of preventing chronic disease as we grow older.

Is there a magic pill for reversing aging?

For those of us who want to live longer and healthier, it’s crucial to understand the connection between our actions and the proteins our bodies produce. While it might seem like an anti-aging miracle drug is just around the corner, we have control over promoting or reversing aging within our reach.

High-intensity exercise produces lactic acid, which acts as an antioxidant and protects brain cells. Mindfulness meditation and yoga increase telomerase, an enzyme that protects DNA. These simple actions can keep our brain cells young and healthy.

For those looking to live longer, there are countless alleged longevity fixes online. But they are not the answer. Our own bodies have inbuilt systems to slow down or accelerate aging. As someone in the medical field, I know the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Somehow, though, reading about the importance of diet and exercise does not energize me as much as knowing that my actions produce molecules that are neuro- and cardio-protective.

Most of us don’t face severe stress like Marie Antoinette or my mother’s neighbor. We deal with everyday stress. In between the daily grind, find 20-30 minutes to do something that helps your cells regroup. You’ll be surprised at how these small daily rituals can pay off in a young and healthy life.


The common theme is that a magic pill for reversing aging is unlikely to exist. It is up to us to do the simple actions that stimulate the production of those innate factors that promote youthfulness in our cells.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Chatgpt-4 for help in editing sections of this article (some parts of this article are being used to give a speech at my Toastmasters club).

Heading image credit

DALL·E-2023. Photo-of an elderly man and woman both in their nineties, 10/21/2023

References

  1. Nahm M, Navarini AA, Kelly EW. Canities subita: a reappraisal of evidence based on 196 case reports published in the medical literature. Int J Trichology. 2013 Apr;5(2):63-8. doi: 10.4103/0974-7753.122959. PMID: 24403766; PMCID: PMC3877474.
  2. Feng Z, Qin Y, Jiang G. Reversing Gray Hair: Inspiring the Development of New Therapies Through Research on Hair Pigmentation and Repigmentation Progress. Int J Biol Sci. 2023 Aug 28;19(14):4588-4607. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.86911. PMID: 37781032; PMCID: PMC10535703.
  3. Lu Y, Brommer B, Tian X, Krishnan A, Meer M, Wang C, Vera DL, Zeng Q, Yu D, Bonkowski MS, Yang JH, Zhou S, Hoffmann EM, Karg MM, Schultz MB, Kane AE, Davidsohn N, Korobkina E, Chwalek K, Rajman LA, Church GM, Hochedlinger K, Gladyshev VN, Horvath S, Levine ME, Gregory-Ksander MS, Ksander BR, He Z, Sinclair DA. Reprogramming to recover youthful epigenetic information and restore vision. Nature. 2020 Dec;588(7836):124-129. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2975-4. Epub 2020 Dec 2. PMID: 33268865; PMCID: PMC7752134.
  4. Ramunas J, Yakubov E, Brady JJ, Corbel SY, Holbrook C, Brandt M, Stein J, Santiago JG, Cooke JP, Blau HM. Transient delivery of modified mRNA encoding TERT rapidly extends telomeres in human cells. FASEB J. 2015 May;29(5):1930-9. doi: 10.1096/fj.14-259531. Epub 2015 Jan 22. PMID: 25614443; PMCID: PMC4415018.
  5. Tabibzadeh S. From genoprotection to rejuvenation. Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2021 Jan 1;26(1):97-162. doi: 10.2741/4890. PMID: 33049666.
  6. Staffaroni  AM, Tosun  D, Lin  J,  et al.  Telomere attrition is associated with declines in medial temporal lobe volume and white matter microstructure in functionally independent older adults.  Neurobiol Aging. 2018;69:68-75.
  7. Puhlmann LMC, Valk SL, Engert V, Bernhardt BC, Lin J, Epel ES, Vrticka P, Singer T. Association of Short-term Change in Leukocyte Telomere Length With Cortical Thickness and Outcomes of Mental Training Among Healthy Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Sep 4;2(9):e199687. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9687. PMID: 31553468; PMCID: PMC6763984.
  8. Falkowska A, Gutowska I, Goschorska M, Nowacki P, Chlubek D, Baranowska-Bosiacka I. Energy Metabolism of the Brain, Including the Cooperation between Astrocytes and Neurons, Especially in the Context of Glycogen Metabolism. Int J Mol Sci. 2015 Oct 29;16(11):25959-81. doi: 10.3390/ijms161125939. PMID: 26528968; PMCID: PMC4661798.
  9. Thakur M, Patil Y, Philip ST, Hamdule T, Thimmapuram J, Vyas N, Thakur K. Impact of Heartfulness meditation practice on anxiety, perceived stress, well-being, and telomere length. Front Psychol. 2023 Jun 5;14:1158760. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1158760. PMID: 37342644; PMCID: PMC10278541.
  10.  Wu C, Feng Y. Exploring the potential of mindfulness-based therapy in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases based on molecular mechanism studies. Front Neurosci. 2023 Jun 13;17:1097067. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1097067. PMID: 37383106; PMCID: PMC10293639.

Tags

aging, brain, inflammation


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