Background Nutrition plays a significant role in the human lifecycle because it provides energy, prevents diseases and promotes growth. Scientists identified the role of dietary involvements in the aging process. The role of calorie restricted diets generates interest among scientists in the field of gerontology and they result in numerous research studies. Caloric restriction (CR) refers to a reduction of 10-40 percent intake of a healthy nutritious diet. Scientists identify it as the primary non-genetic mechanism that extends longevity (Mattison, et al., 2012). A study by McCay et al. in 1930 (Heilbronn & Ravussin, 2005) provided evidence that CR slows aging and extends human lifespan. Caloric restriction is applicable at any stage in the life cycle, but the goal should be to ensure consumption of a healthy diet. The physiological changes related to aging include cell damage and the appearance of cancerous cells. Low calorie diets in old age help to eliminate these cells (Spingler & Dhahbi, 2007). Consequently, studies on the impact of CR in rodents and primates show that it improves lifespan by up to 40 percent with a nutritious diet (Fight Aging, n.d.). Research studies also demonstrate that longevity increases with an increase in caloric restriction (refer to Figure 1). In addition, research studies have sought to establish the mechanism by which CR increases human lifespan. Caloric restriction improves lifespan by delaying and preventing chronic diseases, and through independent mechanisms. Researchers propose mechanisms such as reduced metabolic rates and slow sexual maturation. However, recent studies suggest that conserved stress response in most animals is the primary mechanism (Heilbronn & Ravussin, 2005). Another research study proposes that CR slows the aging process by preventing peroxiredoxin from inactivation (Molin, et al., 2011). For CR to work
Recently, researchers discovered an effect of dietary restriction on the average lifespan of many organisms, including yeast, worms, flies and rodents (Bishop, N., & Guarente, L., 2007). Since most heterotrophs have similar physiological mechanisms to utilize obtained nutrition, many are also affected by diets of different nutrition levels. Thus, future experiments on other animals with similar protocols can be conducted; these experiments can be based on other measurable parameters such as the average lifespan of
Humans undergo several stages during their lifetime including growth, development, reproduction and senescence. Senescence is defined as the deteriorative biological changes that organisms experience as they age eventually leading to death. These changes include low metabolism, a weak immune system, memory loss, poor vision and loss of hearing. Senescence begins in humans during their post-reproductive years. However, gerontology research has shown that individuals who reproduce late have longer life spans compared to individuals who reproduce early. Nonetheless, it does not indicate that senescence is inevitable. All organisms experience senescence, but at different rates and time. Many genetic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease are prevalent in older individuals and the symptoms being to appear in middle adulthood. The causes of genetic diseases and disabilities in older individuals are explained by three evolutionary theories: antagonistic pleiotropy theory, mutation accumulation theory and disposable soma theory. These theories suggest that favorable natural selection and heavy allocation of resources for somatic maintenance during the reproductive period decreases the chances of genetic diseases in younger individuals.
Nutrition plays a significant role in the human lifecycle because it provides energy, helps prevent diseases and promotes growth. The first documented evidence associating dietary restriction and aging came in 1935 in a study conducted by McCay et al that found that reducing the amount of calories consumed by 20% without causing malnourishment increased the lifespan and resistance to age related diseases in a rodent model (Colman et al., 2009; Sinclair, 2005). Typically a reduction of 10-40% of calorie intake is suggested by several authors as being effective in lengthening life, although a recent study using 30% dietary restriction was found to be ineffective in doing so in rhesus monkeys (Mattison et al., 2012).
Almost everyone attempts to live a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is not only important for physical health but mental health as well. Every day, individuals consider changing their eating habits. There are several ways of eating available to chose when aiming for a healthier lifestyle. For example, a multitude of individuals have been converting to the ketogenic way of life. The ketogenic diet was first introduced in the 1920s to help control seizures. There are numerous benefits of the ketogenic lifestyle. The primary reason that various people begin living this way of life is weight loss. They continue the ketogenic lifestyle for the many medical improvements provided by this way of eating. The ketogenic lifestyle is a high-fat
Life longevity, a controversial subject that everyone has been trying to figure out. A subject that has most of the American society obsessed with the idea that we are capable of living many more decades and the other half of society feeling that it’s a bad idea for the society. When it comes to the findings of life longevity there's still not a certain answer to what causes it, as of now there's only assumptions. This research has been going on throughout many years and has been one of the hardest research to crack down. Not even the centenarians knew what was the secret that kept them living such a long life, many would say it was elixirs that they took, others believed there
Aging occurs in every species. Over time a change occurs on a cellular level in a person’s body, which causes degenerative effects on the brain, muscles, organs, bones, hormones, and DNA. In 1991, the book Evolutionary Biology of Aging, offered the following definition of aging: a persistent decline in the age-specific fitness components of an organism due to internal physiological deterioration.1 Aging affects the body physically and mentally. Many people dread getting older due to the numerous changes the body goes through. The geriatric population experiences many pains and is inflicted with various diseases. There are a few who are lucky enough to not get diagnosed with a life altering disease, such as Alzheimer’s, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, macular degeneration, or some form of cancer. Studies have shown that genetics play a vital role in the aging process.
Ultimately, these physiological changes result in different nutritional needs for the elderly. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences issues the Recommended Daily Allowances for healthy people over the age of 51. However, these RDAs are limited in that they have been derived from studies of younger, healthy populations and do not account ...
There is a body of literature on physical status and nutrition intake in the elderly that has looked at functional status as a predictor of nutrition intake, and conversely, nutrition intake as a predictor of functional status (An, et al, 2015; Evans et al, 2010; Brewer et al, 2010; Ribeiro, et al., 2016; Shikany et al, 2013; Ziliak, Gundersen, & Haist, 2008). For example, adequate nutrient intake can reduce the effects of functional limitations in the elderly, and conversely, undernutrition can increase risks of physical, mental, and social impairment (Kleinpell et al, 2008; Sharkey et al, 2003). Moreover, as the number of functional limitations increases the risks of poor nutritional intake increase among the elderly (Bartali et al, 2003).
Gremeaux, Vincent, Mathieu Gayda, Romuald Lepers, Philippe Sosner, Martin Juneau, and Anil Nigam. "Exercise and Longevity." Maturitas 73.4 (2012): 312-17.ScienceDirect. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
When extrinsic mortality rates increase, they lower the probability of survival and cause the strength of selection to decline faster with age which increase in intrinsic morality rates with age. Age is defined as the length of time that a person has lived or a thing has existed. To age well is to maintain your physical and mental health as you grow older. Age is marked by certain stages, aging well can be considered the freedom from disease and an active engagement with life. Some lifestyle choices with respect to aging well can be exercising and dieting. Growing old does affect our hair, skin, heart, muscles and more but aging well is possible if we incorporate a healthy lifestyle. There are two mechanisms that mediate aging. They are proton leakage, and telomere damage. The proton leakage is when the growth rate and metabolic rate cause energy flow to increase. When these genes mediate energy metabolism could cause aging. The telomere is a protective cap at the end of chromosomes that are shorten with each cell division. When they deteriorate away the next cell divisions unsuccessfully duplicate the
Since we have been learning about nutrition in class, our task was to record a food log. Nutrition requires a well-balanced diet containing nutrient and vitamins like amino acids and fatty acids. Over the past seven days I have been recording and have been looking very carefully at my intake of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and fats. In our task, the objective was to record the basic foods we ate during the period of seven, but it did not require recording every single detail or our intake of food. Doing this food log was a pain and it was disturbing because I never wrote about what I ate like breakfast, lunch, dinner, or additional meals. I found this food log useful because it helped me learn what I can change in my intake of foods to make my diet healthy and to see what about my diet is affecting me from being healthy because I could affect me in the future.
Adulthood marks the largest component of lifespan defining the period when a person has attained maturity. Typically, development process manifests new trend in adulthood since it no longer centers on cognitive and physical growth spurts, but considerably characterized by psychosocial gains coupled with consistent but gradual physical declination (aging) prompted by primary determinants like decline or loss in cellular function, oxidative damage, tissue damage, natural selection, DNA modification, and secondary accelerators like general unhealthy lifestyles inclusive of poor diet and absence of physical exercises (Cavanaugh et al., 2010; Steinberg, 2010). In tandem, this essay implores advancing
We are all victims of aging. We can witness our inevitable fates in the elderly with their wrinkled, loose skin and gray hair. You can try and mask the effects of aging, but you can never escape from it. From the moment we are born the natural process of aging begins. Its effects can be seen on our face and body as we grow from a child to an adult. Soon after our bodies have matured into young adults, the degenerative properties of aging begin to negatively impact the body. Aging goes deep beneath the superficial changes like of a balding head, wrinkled skin, or a grey head of hair. These inconspicuous changes occur inside the body affecting cells and organs such as the brain, heart, or lungs. In addition to the deterioration of health of the brain and heart; bones can become weaker and shorter and our vision and hearing impaired or even lost. There are genetic factors and environmental conditions that may contribute to the cause and effects of aging. With age, there is also an increase susceptibility to diseases, cellular damage, genetic mutations, and cancers. Although there have been many advances in medicine and technologies which have allowed us to live longer lives, aging is still an unavoidable natural process.
Aging, as exhibited within the immunity theory, was described as a pre-programmed accumulation of damage, decay and decline within the function of the immune system caused by oxidative stress as a result of the Hayflick limit or biological clock (Touhy and Jett, 2012). This limit refers to the idea that aging is the result of cell and organisms containing a genetically predetermined life span (Touhy and Jett, 2012). This suggested that in relation to a cell’s proliferative instinct, aging becomes more relevant within an individual when the cells reach the limit, introducing cellular errors of imperfect proliferations that result into further damage. Furthermore, no cell within the body has seemed to be above this concept, including the B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes of the immune system. In fact, cellular errors within the immune system have been found to cultivate an autoregressive phenomenon in which normal cells are misidentified as foreign and are consequently destroyed by the body’s own immune system (Touhy and Jett, 2012). The dest...
Postlethwait, John H., and Janet L. Hopson. "Body Function and Nutrition." Modern Biology. Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2006. Print.