The living cell is the most basic unit of all earthly life forms. There are one-celled organisms like some microbes. There are many, humans included, that are composed of numerous cells. Although varied according to the kind of organism or part of a body, cells are basically alike as to parts, form and function.
A cell is made up of macromolecules and smaller molecules. Macromolecules of significance to this presentation are the nucleic acids DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) as well as proteins.
DNA make up our genes. Genes have what is known as our genetic code, the "program" that determines characteristics endowed by our parents. It is from this code where orders to be what we are and how we function comes from.
RNA, by way of proteins, implements orders from DNA. These proteins recognize and convey substances in and out of cells as well as aid in chemical reactions.
Of smaller molecules, significant to us at this time are lipids. These are the primary materials that compose cell membranes or the protective enclosure of cells.
Cells make up tissues, and tissues may be categorized according to their ability to replace worn out cells. There are tissues that do not produce new cells at some point, like nerves and skeletal muscles which cease to grow new cells when a person reaches a certain age.
There are tissues that continually reproduce new cells like the epithelium of the intestines. Epithelium cells last only a few days and have to be replenished as long as we live. Blood cells are likewise replenished continually.
In between the spectrum of tissues that reproduce cells and do not, there are tissues that reproduce cells anywhere from weekly to annually. Tissues of the liver, the skin and organs of the endocrine belong to this category.
What might be considered as the clinical basis of aging is the continuous and long-term loss or damage of important molecules in our body, like protein and nucleic acid. These molecules are required in the formation of new cells. Another basis is the continuing and long-term accumulation and formation of unnecessary substances called age pigments or lipofuscin. These substances not only take up space, they could be toxic to the cells.
Small detrimental changes in the ability of cells to function grow worse over time until a point is reached when the larger function of the organ or system concerned is adversely affected. Although there may still be activity at the cellular level, it happens that mutations occur as we age. Proteins produced may no longer be useful for cellular repair as in the case of lipofuscin. Because of these changes, the cells wear out and die. Even tissues that should be replenishing its own cells lose the ability to do so over time.
The destruction of the DNA is the primary reason for cellular malfunction, aging and death. Once the DNA is destroyed, the genetic message becomes a mess producing the wrong proteins.
The integrity of cell membranes is also important. Once it is breached, cells die. This breaching is often due to oxidative stress.
A cell that adequately receives, uses and disposes of nutrients may last extraordinarily longer. Some may say it is possible for a cell to be immortal given the right conditions. However, in some studies, it seems that cells cease to reproduce when a certain stage is reached, say, the 50th transfer or generation. It is believed that there is a growth-limiting factor involved. Unfortunately and ironically, this growth-limiting factor is lost in the case of mutated cells such as those of cancer.
Just recently, something came up. It seems that the ends of DNA called telomeres decrease in length as we age. And it seems that there is a way to retard or stop this shortening and, maybe, retard physical aging. But, I don't know, it seems that cancer cells develop this characteristic as well so maybe there are risks involved with such attempts.
Anyway, the destruction of cells and the connective tissues that bind them into place because of oxidative stress is the primary cause of senescence or the weakening of systems and physical abilities. This is also the main reason why we suffer so-called degenerative diseases. But the process should be slower than what is happening to us now. Unfortunately, there are many factors attendant to our times that aggravate the process of physical aging.
Anti-aging protocols or methods to prolong a healthy life dominate the health and wellness industry. With one new trend every now and then, it seems we have so much of the means but very little, if at all, of actual results. People are still dying at 70, 50 or lower.
One method alone, unable to address the totality of a person's triune being, will not suffice. The harmonious interplay or synergy of the physical, mental and spiritual should be the object of a sustainable discipline.
There is so much to learn really, too many equally-sound modalities to implement if one should be so gullible. There is the multi-faceted science of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), for instance. There are exercises or routines that supposedly reverse or retard the aging process like the Tibetan Five Rituals. There are gadgets like negative ion generators which make ordinary rooms health-friendly. Of the various methods, those in the area of nutrition appear to be most dominant.
Natural Food Supplementation
Employing good nutrition in the quest for healthy long lives is in accord with the statements of Hippocrates, the recognized father of Western Medicine. He recognized that natural forces cure diseases, that it is food which ought to be our medicine.
Hippocrates is right. Behind hi-tech and modern Medicine is a simple age-old truth. Doctors and drugs do not cure diseases. It is Nature, the body itself, that does the healing. Our body has built-in mechanisms to heal itself. And there are powerful nutrients from the appropriate foods and beverages, from plants or herbs, that support these mechanisms and enhance the body's self-healing capabilities.
The importance of proper nutrition cannot be overemphasized. But, alas, it can get so complicated. As it turns out, we are not what we eat. Our bodies can change the chemical composition of certain foods from one to another. And different individuals may react differently to certain foods.
In the so-called blood-type diet, for example, it seems that certain foods may be harmful to particular blood types while beneficial to others. Researches into food-combining suggest that certain food combinations may not only be wasteful but does more harm than good.
But many people have no choice but to eat what's available. Many do not have the time and patience to be picky when it comes to food. Most would probably prefer to just take a pill or drink some juice as nutritional supplement. If there is a pill that can produce the effects of a healthful exercise, that would be a best-seller.
Speaking of nutritional supplements, the contention that we need to be taking them is largely based on observed deficiencies. People get sick because they lack this or that vitamin or mineral. Another major basis is the observance of effects. People are well because they take this or that substance.
As to deficiencies, even if we do eat a supposedly wholesome diet, there isn't much healthful nutrients in food nowadays. The ultimate sources of nutrients, the soil upon which plant food are grown, has been severely depleted by over-use and erosion. Rain water eventually dumps soil minerals into the seas. For this reason, we are resorting to ocean vegetation for our mineral supplements.
(Another issue is the replacement of natural soil minerals with commercial chemical fertilizers which are feared to cause cumulative harm on consumers. Then, of course, the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides.)
When it comes to healthful substances, and without intentionally being biased, there seems to be one that has promoted healthy long lives since biblical times. It is found in grapes. It is noteworthy that, after the Deluge, Noe immediately set about planting a vineyard (Genesis 9:20).
It is the juice extracted from grapes that is made into red wine. We can assume that Noe did what was a long-known practice. Perhaps, even before him, people already knew that there was something more to red wine than just intoxication. Whatever, we know what Noe drank, and he reached 950 years.
So, what's with these grapes? How can we say that it is healthful, that it can help combat diseases and delay physical aging?
Grapes have powerful antioxidants called proanthocyanidins. These are believed to protect the cells from the damaging effects of oxidative stress.
Polyphenols from barley and coffee do the same.
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