Advanced research in longevity medicine identified the four main causes of aging as the by-products or errors made by the very systems that are vital to keeping us alive. 

We need to eat to live, but the process of converting food to energy may flood our system with excessive glucose which, in turn, produces the aptly named Advanced Glycation End products (AGE’s).  AGE’s cause collagen to lose its elasticity and myosin to stiffen which is why our skin begins to sag and our muscles lose their strength and flexibility as we age.  Excess glucose molecules in our bloodstream also attach themselves to “anti-aging” hormones such as DHEA, human growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and diminish their functions.

We cannot live without oxygen.  Our bodies use it to burn fuel and keep us going.   But burning oxygen produces free radicals and oxidation which, over time, contribute to degenerative and chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and heart and vascular disorders. 

And inevitable ‘glitches’ in our own immune and self-repair systems may also instigate signs of aging.  Acute inflammation—the redness, heat, swelling and pain arising from injury, is a normal part of the body immune response and healing.   But chronic inflammation occurs when immune cells mistakenly identify tissue molecules as outside invaders and create antibodies to attack them. The result is auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Methylation activates certain genes and deactivates others. While essential for normal cell development and function, sometimes the wrong genes are activated or deactivated.   In the worst case, methylation may turn off tumor suppressor genes, allowing cancer to develop.  

Glycation, oxidation, inflammation and methylation are all natural biological processes which, to some extent, are unavoidable.  

The good news is that practical lifestyle changes can reduce or even reverse the damages.  

Read Adria’s upcoming article:  WUJI – An Infinite Source, how ancient wisdom and cutting edge science converge to revolutionize the future of longevity medicine in the May/June issue of Asia Spa Magazine.

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