Can we slow down human aging?

Little can be done to slow biological aging. However, some steps can be taken to minimize the effects of certain diseases and conditions associated with aging. These measures include dietary and medication manipulations and lifestyle changes. An Action Plan to Fight Unhealthy Inflammation How good is your cardiometabolic health and what is that, anyway? Opioid Addiction and Overdoses Are Increasingly Harming Black Communities New Harvard Tool Helps Fact Check Cancer Claims Pain of This Can Help Q.

Is it possible that scientists could one day slow down the aging of our bodies? A: You may have doubts, but yes, it's possible. I know that it seems that all living things age the flowers in the garden, our pets and us. However, a colleague at Harvard Medical School who studies aging, professor of genetics David Sinclair, tells me that there are certain cold-water fish that may never die of natural death. They die from injury or from being consumed by a larger animal, but it's not clear that they die naturally.

Some are hundreds of years old and still playful. Sign up for Harvard Health Online for immediate access to health news and information from Harvard Medical School. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of the last revision or update of all items.

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The best way to slow down aging is to stay in good shape. A study published in Aging Cell found that older people who exercised regularly throughout their lives had the muscle mass, cholesterol levels and even immune system function of much younger people. Not surprisingly, exercise leads to healthy weight loss and encourages fat loss (unlike muscles). This also helps control blood sugar to prevent diabetes.

While aging is likely to be inevitable for all living things, it is possible to delay it in cells and animals experimentally. For us humans, the best way to slow down aging is to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly. Having a positive attitude about aging, maintaining purpose, and staying socially engaged can help slow down the physical and mental aging process. At least a dozen new drugs to slow down aging are now being tested in humans, says Austad, who predicts that some will hit the market in 10 years.

In a study published in the journal Cell, the presence of certain gut bacteria actually slowed the aging speed of worms, which could lead to anti-aging bacterial treatments for humans in the future. Restricted calorie intake can cause body cells to go into a “protective” mode, slowing down aging. .