What Are the Characteristics of the Aging Immune System?

Refers to the phenomenon that the body's ability to adapt to the environment's physiology and psychology is progressively reduced, and it gradually approaches death. Aging can be divided into two categories: physiological aging and pathological aging. The former refers to the physiological degradation process that occurs after maturity, and the latter is an aging change caused by various external factors (including various diseases). The two are actually difficult to distinguish. In short, aging is an inevitable result of the combined effects of many pathological, physiological, and psychological processes, and is a biological psychological process in the final stage of individual growth and development ^[1] .

An activity that accompanies the occurrence and development of life is the process of the body's loss and degradation from the constituent material and tissue structure to the physiological function. The aging process continues from fertilized eggs to death. Only at a certain stage do the characteristics of aging become apparent. The physiological changes in the human aging process are mainly reflected in the loss of the body's tissue cells and constituent substances, the slowing down of the body's metabolic rate, and the decline of body and organ function. Aging is inevitable, but delaying it is possible. Reasonable diet and balanced nutrition are one of the important measures to delay aging and prolong life. ^[2]

(1) Time-dependent.

(2) It is a universal phenomenon in all cells, tissues, organs and the whole body.

3) Endogenous changes caused by natural trends. ^[3]

The main physiological manifestations of aging are:

(1) Morphological changes. Including: cell changes. The main manifestation is the gradual decrease in the number of cells. Changes in tissues and organs. As the number of cells in internal organs and tissues decreases, atrophy and weight loss occur. Overall change. With the increase of age, body shape and appearance change, such as whitening hair; reduced skin elasticity, wrinkles, age spots; loose teeth, deafness, dazzling, humpback, height shortening, etc.

(2) Physiological decline. Including: decline of cardiovascular system function. For example, myocardial fibers gradually atrophy, senile pigments (lipofuscin) are deposited in myocardial cells, heart valves become hypertrophic and hardened, and elasticity decreases. Respiratory organs are aging. It manifests as reduced lung volume, markedly reduced respiratory function, and reduced compensatory capacity. changes in the digestive system. Mainly the weakened oral and gastrointestinal function, atrophic changes in gums and teeth. changes in the musculoskeletal motor system. The main manifestations are that with the increase of age, the muscle fibers become thinner, the elasticity is reduced, and the contraction force is weakened; the organic components in the bones are reduced, and the inorganic salts are increased, which results in a decrease in the elasticity and toughness of the bones and easy fractures. Changes in the nervous system. Mainly manifested as a certain degree of loss of brain cells; reduced nerve conduction speed; slow action of the elderly, reflecting reduced flexibility and so on.

(3) Hypofunction of main sensory organs. Such as vision, hearing, smell, taste, skin sensation (including touch, temperature, pain) decreased ability. In addition, the elderly's psychological movement response is correspondingly slow. ^[4]

There are six characteristics of aging itself. Universality: That is, all organisms will age. Intrinsicity: The aging process is a spontaneous and inevitable process in living organisms, that is, living in the most suitable environment will gradually age. Progressive: Aging is a process that continues to develop over time. Harm: Aging reduces the physiological function of the organism, and increases the chance of illness and death. Individual differences: In the same kind of organisms, the aging process is different between different individuals, especially in the later stages of life, this difference is more obvious. Longevity is only possible for individuals who are slower. Interference: Although aging is an internal spontaneous process, external conditions can accelerate or delay this process. Such as ambient temperature can change the lifespan of animals. Because of this, it is possible for people to seek longevity by improving the living environment. Physiologically, aging is caused by a decrease in metabolism. Metabolism is one of the basic characteristics of life activities, and it includes two aspects of anabolic and catabolism. If the body's anabolic metabolism is higher than catabolism, humans will grow and develop, this is childhood and adolescence; if the speed of these two metabolic processes is basically balanced, people will reach middle age and mature age, the changes of the human body during this period Smaller; if catabolism is higher than anabolic, humans begin to age, and if metabolism stops, human life activities will end. These changes are common throughout a person's life, so aging is inevitable. However, in human life, due to internal or external reasons, the aging process occurs earlier, which is premature aging. Premature aging is a pathological aging that will affect human lifespan. Although people are prone to pathological aging in old age, it is not necessarily for everyone. Therefore, physiological aging is an unavoidable natural law, while pathological aging can be prevented and delayed. In order to combat aging, extensive research has been conducted on the mechanisms of aging. However, so far, the mechanism of causing aging has not been fully understood. ^[5]

The term Aging or Senescence means that the body gradually degenerates with age. The universality, endogenousness, progressiveness and harmfulness of aging are generally accepted as the standard of aging. Since the application of experimental methods to study aging at the end of the 19th century, there have been no less than 20 doctrines, many of which have not been supported by experimental research. Current research suggests that aging is the result of a combination of factors such as stem cell decline, DNA degradation, dietary mental factors, and aging gene activity, and a unified aging theory has not yet been formed.

Somatic mutation theory

The theory holds that during the lifetime of an organism, induced (physical factors such as ionizing radiation, X-rays, chemical factors, and biological factors) and spontaneous mutations destroy the cells' genes and chromosomes, and this mutation accumulates to a certain extent, causing the cells As the function declines, the cells die after reaching a critical value. The evidence supporting this theory is: X-ray irradiation can accelerate the aging of mice, the chromosome aberration rate of short-lived mice is higher, and the chromosome aberration rate of older people is higher, and the chromosome aberration rate of older people is higher; Some people have studied the occurrence of transgenic animals during aging. The frequency and type of spontaneous mutations also provide a certain basis for this theory.

However, this doctrine also has facts that cannot be explained, such as whether aging is increased damage or decreased chromosome repair ability, which cannot be explained; in addition, modern biology has proven that the mutation rate of a gene is 10-6-10-9 / cell / gene Point / generation, such a low mutation rate will not cause the entire population of cells to die, and according to this theory, cells should have an abnormally high mutation rate; aging is caused by mutations, and transformed cells can continue to grow in vitro. In this regard, Transformed cells should not be mutated, but this is not the case.

Free radical theory

Scientific methods and principles to delay skin aging

Anti-aging skin care beauty

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Diet slows aging and reduces wrong eating habits

Fruits instead of vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins. For this reason, many people think that as long as they eat fruits every day, they don't need to eat or eat less vegetables. In fact, vegetables are the essential foods of the human body, second only to food. It can more effectively promote the human body to absorb the three major nutrients of protein, fat and carbohydrates. If people only eat animal food, the protein absorption rate is 70%; if they eat vegetables, the absorption rate can reach more than 90%. In addition, vegetables contain special plant crude fibers that can stimulate intestinal peristalsis and help digestion and prevent bowel cancer.

Instant noodles instead of breakfast

1. Regular consumption of instant noodles instead of breakfast is very detrimental to human health and development. Because six elements are needed to maintain the normal physiological metabolism of the human body, and the main component of instant noodles is carbohydrates, and other nutrients are few. Therefore, if you replace breakfast with instant noodles for a long time, it will lead to dizziness, fatigue, weight loss, palpitations, and depression, etc. In severe cases, there may be nutritional loss such as weight loss and muscle atrophy.

Fresh vegetables instead of refrigerated vegetables

1. This is not a problem if it refers to fresh vegetables just picked from the field. But in fact, most of the vegetables we eat are not so fresh, they are usually stored for several days, and their vitamins are gradually lost during storage. In contrast, refrigerated vegetables can maintain more vitamins, because refrigerated vegetables after picking can prevent the loss of vitamins.

Mineral water instead of plain water

1. Many people say that mineral water is rich in minerals, so they no longer drink boiled water and use mineral water instead, but mineral water will also be polluted by harmful substances in the land. Recently, Dutch scientists analyzed bottled mineral water and found that mineral water is more susceptible to contamination by dangerous microorganisms and bacteria. Although these bacteria may not pose a significant threat to the health of a healthy person, for those with a weaker immune system, bacteria in bottled mineral water can pose a considerable danger.

Livestock instead of fish

1. It is the habit of most Han people to only eat pork and eat little or no fish. Although the protein content and absorption rate of the two are not much different, the composition of the fat is very different. Fish fat contains more of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which play a beneficial role in children's brain development and prevention of cardiovascular disease. And animal meat, especially beef and mutton, fatty acids are mainly saturated, and excessive intake is not good for health.

Brown sugar instead of white sugar

1. Both brown sugar and white sugar are extracted from sugar cane or sugar beet. The manufacturing process of brown sugar is slightly simpler than that of white sugar. It also contains more glucose and cellulose, releases energy faster, and has higher absorption and utilization. However, brown sugar is not as sweet as white sugar, and people naturally add more when drinking tea and coffee, so in fact brown sugar is sometimes more dangerous than white sugar.

Tonic instead of nutrition

1. Many people often take various tonics when doctors suggest to strengthen their nutrition. However, experts point out that supplements are not a substitute for nutritional products. Amino acid is a common tonic, but it is not necessary if it is not difficult to eat. Blind infusion of amino acid can not only cause allergic reactions, but also may cause liver coma and uremia for those with poor renal function. Many people think that vitamins are good for the body, so it s okay to eat more, but otherwise, vitamin a and d pills can cause vitamin a poisoning, bone pain, vomiting, itching, and hair loss. Therefore, to strengthen nutrition, you should start with regulating your diet and never abuse nutrition.

Nutrition replaces natural food

1. Many people are paying more and more attention to nutrition, which is a good thing, but if you abuse nutrition, good things become bad things. Eat protein powder for meals and vitamins for fruits and vegetables. It is believed that if you eat these nutrients, your body will stay healthy. Many people think that vitamins are good for the body, so it is better to eat more, but it is not. For example, a large amount of vitamin C is related to the formation of kidney stones. To strengthen nutrition, in principle, we should start with diet adjustment. If the diet is not enough and supplements are really needed, advice should be given by the relevant experts.

Moderate exercise delays aging

"Life is exercise" exercise is one of the effective measures to maintain health and delay aging. Therefore, sports have been actively advocated in health care since ancient times. Some people think that it is too late for people to start exercising when they are old, but it is not. Studies by foreign sports physiologists have confirmed that: "Although the effect of physical activity in the elderly is much smaller than that of young people, as long as you invest in and exercise with a moderate amount of load, the body's physiological function and tissue state can be significantly improved. "Therefore, any elderly person, as long as he insists on the right amount of physical exercise, is good for health and longevity. However, the elderly should pay attention to the following points when participating in sports:

1. Go to the hospital for a comprehensive check before exercising.

2, step by step, the amount of exercise gradually increased, to master a moderate amount of exercise. Experts believe that the elderly adhere to 30 minutes of light exercise every day, 5 times a week, and the heart rate per minute after exercise, plus their age, does not exceed 170, which is the most moderate amount of exercise. In addition, within 5 minutes after the end of the exercise, I felt that my heartbeat and breathing basically returned to normal, and my whole body was comfortable without fatigue, which also showed that the amount of exercise was moderate.

3. Choose a reasonable exercise program. Jogging, brisk walking, and swimming are endurance exercises to keep the heart healthy; flexible exercises such as tai chi, dancing, and aerobics can move muscles, ligaments, and tendons to prevent joint stiffness and pain; obese elderly are best to do weight loss aerobics for the elderly .

4. Select exercise time. It is safer to choose exercise time in the afternoon. 5. Perseverance, you insist.

6, be prepared before exercise, do not stop suddenly after intense exercise. It's best to walk slowly for 2 minutes before stopping for a rest. Do not take a shower immediately after exercise, wait at least 5 minutes. It is best to use hot water when taking a shower to ensure safety.

Strengthen exercise

Stick to moderate drinking water to delay aging

The composition of water in human cells is very large, and the process of human life and death can be said to be an indirect dehydration process.