Researchers have developed a chemical cocktail to reverse aging in mice. The international study has been underway for 13 years and shows how one’s biological age may be far more flexible than chronological age.
If the FDA classifies aging as a disease, drugs could be developed that could significantly postpone death. Meanwhile, here are some easy strategies that may slow or reverse it:
1. Exercise
Though aging is inevitable, its most detrimental effects can be mitigated through leading a healthy lifestyle. Reducing dietary fat and protein consumption, getting enough restful sleep and engaging in physical activities are all vital steps toward slowing the rate of aging; several studies have proven this point through various exercises which target nine hallmarks of aging as part of anti-ageing plans.
Researchers have made an astounding discovery: exercise can rejuvenate skeletal muscle in such a way as to potentially provide new anti-ageing drugs. Exercise causes changes in epigenetics (chemical modifications that alter how genes express) that could help lead to new anti-ageing drugs.
Shinya Yamanaka of Nobel Prize fame used stem cell stimulation to induce new stem cell production that will replace any defunct muscle, tissue or organ cells that were losing function in his cells using four transcription factors known as Oct3/4, Klf4, Sox2 and Myc (OKSM).
These new stem cells possess the power to transform into any cell type in the body; scientists have successfully transformed these cells back into muscle, skin, and even brain cells for use by their patients.
Scientists behind this work are now taking the next step of reverse aging in older cells. While this will be much harder, Munoz Canoves, from Altos Labs in Spain has successfully accomplished it by increasing self-cleaning and regeneration capacities of mouse cells.
InnerAge offers a service to determine your biological age by sending blood samples to a lab. They then use this data to advise you on diet, exercise and restful restorative sleep habits.
2. Diet
Diets rich in fruits, vegetables and plant-based proteins have long been shown to slow the rate of biological aging; now a new study suggests you can actually reverse that process and make yourself younger!
Stony Brook University researchers have recently discovered that switching neurons’ fuel source from glucose to ketones, through mitochondrial biogenesis, may reverse many of the cognitive changes associated with aging.
Participants of a clinical trial were required to reduce caloric intake by 25% or more and their results showed that those who reduced caloric intake slowed biological aging trajectories by 2-3% or more compared with those who didn’t reduce caloric intake.
3. Sleep
Sleep provides our bodies with much-needed rest, rejuvenation and repair of cell damage. A proper night of restful slumber is vital for good health; lack of restful restful slumber may result in weight gain, fatigue, irritability or depression as well as slow healing and memory loss.
Sleep is a complex biological process regulated by multiple brain regions. The hypothalamus, thalamus, pineal gland, and brain stem work in concert to maintain homeostasis of sleep-wake patterns as part of an alerting system called circadian alerting system. Stress, hunger, caffeine intake and electronic device exposure may interfere with this normal process and result in sleep disruptions which may include increased accumulation of damage; accelerated cell senescence; decreased telomere length; altered telomerase activity as well as epigenetic aging effects.
Researchers are becoming more and more aware that sleep disruption is linked to an array of age-related diseases, and studies indicate that altering one’s sleeping pattern could be a potential therapeutic target for many of these conditions.
Studies of sleep and aging can be complicated by methodological differences between laboratory rodents and humans, ecological context and possible adaptive strategies that have evolved as responses to differing naturalistic environments. It’s likely that differences seen across species could reflect adaptation strategies developed as responses.
Studies suggest that one key way in which sleep influences aging is through its ability to restore large-scale cortical networks to their OFF state, through both reestablishing sleep-like activity patterns in areas that had lost them during wakefulness, as well as through increased frequency of localized naps leaking into periods of wakefulness.
4. Stress Reduction
Stress has an enormously detrimental impact on our health. Its effects include inducing a release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that cause inflammation, DNA damage and cell dysfunction – as well as shortening telomeres (protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that protect cells against unravelling). Chronic stress has been linked with early death from numerous illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Scientists have recently discovered that stress’ effects on biological age can be reversed by decreasing its levels. When stress levels remain high, our bodies become unbalanced and are unable to respond appropriately; this increases biological age while increasing risks such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic issues, immune dysfunction and oxidative stress. When our bodies can recover from stressful events quickly enough however, biological age slows and cell function returns more effectively than before.
Researchers have used DNA methylation clocks to gauge biological age, and discovered that those exposed to chronic stress had younger cells compared with those not under strain. Other studies supported this conclusion and demonstrated how when stress responses are eliminated, people are able to reset their DNA methylation clocks and biological age.
Life can improve and your biological age can decrease when you reduce unnecessary stress by getting enough sleep, eating healthy food, limiting alcohol consumption and quitting smoking; being physically active also helps. Meditation or biofeedback may be helpful in learning to control emotions and relax more efficiently, and grouping stressful things into those that you can control versus those you can’t before working to let go of anything that doesn’t matter in your life.
5. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep provides our bodies with the opportunity to recharge, repair cells and restore systems. Sleep deprivation may lead to short-term symptoms like lack of energy and difficulty focusing, but can have more long-term consequences such as serious health conditions.
Sleep deprivation can be difficult to deal with on your own, which is why it is recommended to seek medical help if it persists. Your physician can recommend treatment tailored specifically for you depending on its cause.
Sleep deprivation can result from many different sources, such as an inconsistent nighttime sleeping schedule, medical conditions (like congestive heart failure and poorly controlled asthma), medications ( like steroids and stimulants) or mental health issues like depression. Sleep disorders ( like insomnia, sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome) as well as infectious diseases like influenza or the common cold may also contribute to this sleep deprivation.
Studies demonstrate the significance of sleep deprivation on our immune systems. When not getting enough rest, your immune system is less equipped to fight off germs or recover from illness effectively, decreasing its effectiveness of certain vaccines as a result. Furthermore, many forms of sleep deprivation are reversible – if you’re having difficulty sleeping there are ways to change behaviors and pre-sleep rituals so as to more easily get what your body needs for restful slumber.