Premature/Signs of Aging

Reuters, March 17, 2008: How well people get around and keep their balance in old age is linked to the severity of changes in their brains, research suggests.  Age-related white matter brain changes are associated with gait and balance disturbances.

Dr. Hansjoerg Baezner, from University of Heidelberg in Mannheim, Germany, and colleagues studied the impact of age-related white matter changes on functional decline in 639 men and women between the ages of 65 and 84 who underwent brain scans as well as walking and balance tests.  Of the group, 284 had mild age-related white matter changes, 197 moderate changes, and 158 severe changes.

They found that people with severe white matter changes were twice as likely to score poorly on tests of walking and balance as those with mild white matter changes.  They further found that people with severe changes were twice as likely as the mild group to have a history of falls.  The moderate group was one-and-a-half times as likely as the mild group to have a history of falls.

As people age, the body produces lower levels of various substances, including tears.

Sometimes known as the "youth hormone", DHEA protects the body from premature aging.  A lower-than-normal level of DHEA can also be a sign of premature aging, as DHEA production decreases with age.

Hair graying results when melanocytes stop producing melanin, the same pigment that darkens our skin to protect us from UV radiation.  Sex steroids such as estrogens and progesterone stimulate the function of melanocytes.  Also, premature hair graying is less frequent in ethnic groups, notably blacks, who also tend to have higher testosterone levels in both sexes. [J Clin Endo Metab 1997; 82: pp.3580-83]

Our outward appearance says a lot about what is going on inside our body: If a person appears to be aging prematurely then it is probably not just occurring on the outside.

Research shows that chronic inflammation is a major cause of premature aging: The cumulative damage caused by chronic inflammation often occurs without any apparent signs or symptoms, but gradually causes severe skin deterioration and accelerated skin aging.

A recent large-scale prospective study of 4700 Norwegian men and women between the ages of 65 and 67 revealed that higher levels of homocysteine in plasma were associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality.  For each 5 mmol/L increase in plasma homocysteine levels, the number of deaths from all causes in this "youthful" senior population jumped by 49%.  This included:

• a 50% rise in deaths from cardiovascular disease
• a 26% rise in deaths from cancer
• a 104% rise in deaths from other causes.

These dramatic results may indicate a need for more routine screening in the elderly population. [Am J Clin Nutr 2001;74: pp.130-6]

Psoriasis can cause rapid skin aging.

Melatonin declines rapidly as we age, with levels generally minimal by age 70.

The symptoms of Werners Syndrome closely resemble premature aging.

Some of the most effective strategies for combatting ageing include EDTA chelation therapy and environmental medicine.  EDTA chelation is a series of intravenous treatments that removes heavy metals and can increase circulation throughout the body.

If your typical meal is dominated by food that is white, brown and gray then what you are eating is probably making you old.  Instead, think "color and crunch."  Eat meals that are dominated by juicy, crunchy foods rich in reds, oranges, purples and greens.

According to research at the University of Southern California published in June, 2014, prolonged fasting reduces levels of the enzyme PKA, which is linked to aging.

Environmental medicine identifies toxic and allergic factors to remove or avoid them and/or desensitizes the body so that their effect is negligible.

Melatonin helps to restore metabolic function and 'reset the metabolic clock' that has been disrupted by aging.

Prolotherapy can help keep joints stabilized.

Early reduction in quantity or bioavailability of multiple hormones hastens the aging process.  The hormones most likely to be involved include estrogens, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA.

Considered to be from 200 to 500 times more potent an antioxidant than vitamin E, selenium and vitamin E are synergistic as antioxidants and inhibit or prevent the damage to tissues by free radicals which have been cited as causal factors in heart disease, atherosclerosis, arthritis and aging.

There are many testimonies of the anti-aging benefits of oxidation therapies as simple as the hydrogen peroxide bath.

Chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, massage, hydromassage, and mind/body therapies can also reduce the chronic stress on the body that interferes with normal functioning and contributes to premature aging.

Osteopathic manipulation can reduce the chronic stress on the body that interferes with normal functioning and contributes to premature aging.

Massage can reduce the chronic stress on the body that interferes with normal functioning and contributes to premature aging.

Both Eastern and Western medicine recognize that stress can affect the adrenal glands and accelerate the aging process.