PHYSIOLOGY OF AGING
~M.Vaishnavi
Introduction
•Age~length of time an individual has existed.
•Physical Age/biological Age/mental Age.
•Aging is an inevitable process, it starts from the time
of conception.
•Physiologically aging refers to the progressive.
deteriorative changes during the adult period of life,
due to which there is increased vulnerability to
challenges and hence decreasing ability to survive.
•It is the impaired ability to maintain homeostasis in
the face of external and internal changes or stresses.
•It is a decline in function, at cellular level and that of
body organ.
Cellular level:-
1.Damage caused by oxidative stress.
2.Inadequate repair of the damage.
3.Dysregulation of cell number.
-Decline in the DNA repair activity.
-Changes in connective tissue.
Geriatric changes:-
•Age more than 60 years is referred to geriatric changes.
•Body physiology changes in geriatric age group.
Common physiological changes in old age:-
-Increase in blood pressure.
-Osteoporotic changes in bones.
-Decreased digestive functions.
-Decreased immunity.
-Decreased audiovisual acuity.
-Loss of memory.
-Decreased sensory and motor responses.
#Increased incidence of diabetes, hypertension,
malignancies, and GI dysfunctions are common in elderly.
Theories of Aging
Biological changes of Aging:
1. Chromosomal Abnormalities
2. Increased DNA cross linking
3. Increased frequency of single stranded breaks in DNA
4. Decrease in DNA methylation
5. Loss of DNA telomeric sequences
6. Increased post translational changes in proteins
7. Deamidation, oxidation, and non enzymatic glycation of
proteins
8. Deformation in mitochondrial structure
AGING IS MULTIFACTORIAL
Theories can be broadly divided into two categories:
Genetic theories and Random age theories.
1. Genetic theories of Aging:
-Genetic theories of Aging are based on programmed
sequence.
-The Aging is preprogrammed by a biological time
table.
Three Genetic theories have been developed recently:
1. Mutation theory
2. Theory of pleiotropic antagonism
3. Ecological theory
1. Mutation theory:
- This theory suggests the importance of mutations that
retards long survival.
-Mutations pile up in genes that are transferred from
generations to generations.
2. Theory of pleiotropic antagonism:
- This theory proposes that Aging is caused by the
harmful effects of genes.
3. Ecological theory:
- This theory applies to the ecological conditions where
external hazards are less.
2. Random damage theories:
- It explains that the Aging is due to the loss of balance
between ongoing damage and repair.
- The continous tissue Damage in the body occurs due
to constant production of free radicals, and by the
process of oxidation and glycation.
- The damage is immediately repaired by regenerating
an anti-stress mechanism.
- With advancement of age (>40 years), capacity to
repair cells, tissues,and organs decline.
- DNA synthesis is impaired.
Role of cell replication:
- Length of telomeric DNA has also been associated to
cell replication.
- Telomeric DNA has following important functions:
1. Prevents chromosomal abnormality
2. Slows chromosomal fragmentation and
rearrangement
3. Anchors chromosomes to nuclear matrix
4. Acts as a buffer between coding regions of DNA and
the ends of the chromosomes
5. It is also necessary for cell divisions.
- Telomeric shortening causes loss of gene
accessibility.
● In the past many mechanisms have been postulated
for aging.
These are:
-Somatic mutation theory
-The error catastrophe theory
-The Intrinsic mutagenesis theory
-> However none of these theories have satisfied the
physiological basis of aging.
-> However, calorie intake and free radicals are known
to play important role in aging.
Role of calorie intake:
- Increased calorie intake after the age of 40 has been
proved to facilitate aging.
- The calorie restriction by about 30% of the total calorie
intake has been documented to have following effects:
1. Increase in average life expectancy and maximum
life span.
2. Delays in onset of age-associated diseases.
3. Decrease in deteroriation of physiological processes
like immune responsiveness, glucose metabolism, muscle
atrophy, etc
4. Influence on gene expression, protein turnover, and
cross-linking.
Role of free radicals and oxidative stress:
- Due to metabolism, free radicals like peroxide and
hydroxyl radicals are continously produced in the body.
- The free radicals damage DNA and proteins and cause
peroxidation of lipids in the membranes. This is called
oxidative stress.
- Simultaneously a scavenging system of antioxidants
also exists in the body that neutralizes the toxic effects of
free radicals.
- Antioxidants include glutathione, vitamin E, vitamin A,
and vitamin C
- Oxidative stress promotes aging.
Atherosclerosis:
- It is the process of narrowing of lumen of blood vessels
due to deposition of lipid materials on the inner
endothelial lining of blood vessels.
- It is the physiological process that starts almost at
infancy.
- Due to atherosclerosis, blood supply to organs and
tissues of the body decreases that causes structural and
functional degenerations.
- However, the process of degeneration is facilitated by
accelerated atherosclerosis in which fibrofatty plaques
are deposited in greater amount in the blood vessel
lumen and hyperplasia of smooth muscle of blood
The predisposition factors for accelerated
atherosclerosis are:
1. Hyperlipidemia ( hypercholesterolemia,
hypertriglyceridemia)
2. Obesity
3. Diabetes mellitus
4. Hypertension
5. Smoking
6. Excess eating after 40 years of age
7. Chronic Stress
8. Lack of exercise
How to slow down - Nutrition and nutritional
the process of supplements.
Aging? - Antioxidants.
- Regular exercise.
- Stress management.
- Healthy life style.
