Question

1. Identify the myths about aging. (See page 173 in your textbook.)

2. Compare the biologic theories of aging.

3. Explain why people are living longer now than they did 100 years ago.

4. What is benign senescence and when does it normally occur?

5. Summarize the physical changes that occur in aging.

Answer 1

1) Myths about aging-As people age, they or society in general may take on some assumptions about them. There are many myths about aging or elderly people that simple aren’t true. Fellowship Square debunks the myths about aging that should never be assumed about senior citizens.

Myth: “Old people have ‘old ways’ of thinking.”

Truth: Every individual – young and old – has his or her own unique thoughts and feelings about society. It’s an unfair blanket statement to assume that every person over (or under!) the age of 60 has the same beliefs. Taking some time to speak with elderly people about their thoughts about the world – and their own past experiences – can shed some light on this truth.

Myth: “People lose their memory as they age.”

Truth: Not every aging person experiences memory loss diseases such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. According to Psychology Today, only 6 to 8 percent of people over the age of 65 have been diagnosed with dementia.

Myth: Genetic health conditions can’t be avoided as people age.

Truth: While it’s true that genetics play a certain role in each person’s body and health, health and wellness is largely in the hands of each individual. Eating right, getting enough exercise and rest all contribute to healthy aging.

Myth: Elderly people are less adaptable to change.

Truth: This is a personal preference – some people enjoy the newness and thrill of change, while others may be more apprehensive about change. However, this is not an age-related issue. Elderly people have faced countless challenges and situations of change by the time they reach a certain age, so while they may be a bit slower to adapt, they are certainly capable of change.

Myth: Elderly people are less adventurous.

Truth: There are many elderly people who have waited their entire lives for the opportunity to be in retirement so they can travel the world and see new things.

Myth: People become less productive as they age.

Truth: Retirement doesn’t mean elderly people just want to sit around all day! While at a certain age and depending on health concerns, some elderly people may need to rest more throughout the day, many people of retirement age enjoy active lives, help with care for their grandchildren and volunteer. A report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 24% of senior citizens volunteer throughout their retirement years.

Myth: People are less creative as they age.

Truth: Many people take up hobbies or crafts in their senior years that actually lead to a second career and/or income. Whether its woodworking, art or knitting, creative activities keep seniors’ brains and dexterity sharp.

Myth: “Old people are crabby or depressed.”

Truth: Depression is a real, diagnosable disease, not a feeling that can be used as a blanket statement. There is no evidence that shows that older people are crankier – people that are generally “crabby” in their younger years may continue that way. People that choose to be happy, usually continue that mindset into their golden years. It all comes down to attitude.

Myth: Elderly people are lonely.

Truth: The loving, caring environments of retirement communities and assisted living facilities such as Fellowship Square intend to make their residents feel at home and offer a vast social calendar of activities to keep seniors interactive with their neighbors. Many elderly people have kept an active social life and now that they have more time in retirement, actually have a very busy calendar.

Myth: “Old people are incompetent.”

Truth: Elderly people that continue to challenge their brains, exercise their bodies and feed their soul with religion and spiritual beliefs are perfectly competent into their senior years. Even as they age and experience some memory loss or dementia, many elderly people retain abilities to understand, make rational decisions and participate in and simply enjoy life!
2) Many theories have been proposed to explain the process of aging, but neither of them appears to be fully satisfactory (1). The traditional aging theories hold that aging is not an adaptation or genetically programmed. Modern biological theories of aging in humans fall into two main categories: programmed and damage or error theories. The programmed theories imply that aging follows a biological timetable, perhaps a continuation of the one that regulates childhood growth and development. This regulation would depend on changes in gene expression that affect the systems responsible for maintenance, repair and defense responses. The damage or error theories emphasize environmental assaults to living organisms that induce cumulative damage at various levels as the cause of aging.

The programmed theory has three sub-categories: 1) Programmed Longevity. Aging is the result of a sequential switching on and off of certain genes, with senescence being defined as the time when age-associated deficits are manifested. Dr. Davidovic et al discuss the role of genetic instability in aging and dynamics of the aging process. 2) Endocrine Theory. Biological clocks act through hormones to control the pace of aging. Recent studies confirm that aging is hormonally regulated and that the evolutionarily conserved insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway plays a key role in the hormonal regulation of aging. Dr. van Heemst discusses the potential mechanism underlying IIS and aging process. 3) Immunological Theory. The immune system is programmed to decline over time, which leads to an increased vulnerability to infectious disease and thus aging and death. It is well documented that the effectiveness of the immune system peaks at puberty and gradually declines thereafter with advance in age. For example, as one grows older, antibodies lose their effectiveness, and fewer new diseases can be combated effectively by the body, which causes cellular stress and eventual death (3). Indeed, dysregulated immune response has been linked to cardiovascular disease, inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and cancer. Although direct causal relationships have not been established for all these detrimental outcomes, the immune system has been at least indirectly implicated.

The damage or error theory include 1) Wear and tear theory. Cells and tissues have vital parts that wear out resulting in aging. Like components of an aging car, parts of the body eventually wear out from repeated use, killing them and then the body. So the wear and tear theory of aging was first introduced by Dr. August Weismann, a German biologist, in 1882, it sounds perfectly reasonable to many people even today, because this is what happens to most familiar things around them. 2) Rate of living theory. The greater an organism’s rate of oxygen basal metabolism, the shorter its life span. The rate-of-living theory of aging while helpful is not completely adequate in explaining the maximum life span.Dr. Rollo proposes a modified version of Pearl’s rate of living theory emphasizing the hard-wired antagonism of growth (TOR) and stress resistance (FOXO). 3) Cross-linking theory. The cross-linking theory of aging was proposed by Johan Bjorksten in 1942. According to this theory, an accumulation of cross-linked proteins damages cells and tissues, slowing down bodily processes resulting in aging. Recent studies show that cross-linking reactions are involved in the age related changes in the studied proteins. 4) Free radicals theory. This theory, which was first introduced by Dr. Gerschman in 1954, but was developed by Dr. Denham Harman, proposes that superoxide and other free radicals cause damage to the macromolecular components of the cell, giving rise to accumulated damage causing cells, and eventually organs, to stop functioning. The macromolecules such as nucleic acids, lipids, sugars, and proteins are susceptible to free radical attack. Nucleic acids can get additional base or sugar group; break in a single- and double-strand fashion in the backbone and cross link to other molecules. The body does possess some natural antioxidants in the form of enzymes, which help to curb the dangerous build-up of these free radicals, without which cellular death rates would be greatly increased, and subsequent life expectancies would decrease. This theory has been bolstered by experiments in which rodents fed antioxidants achieved greater mean longevity. However, at present there are some experimental findings which are not agreed with this early proposal. The review by Igor Afanas’ev shows that reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling is probably the most important enzyme/gene pathway responsible for the development of cell senescence and organismal aging and that ROS signaling might be considered as further development of free radical theory of aging .

5) Somatic DNA damage theory. DNA damages occur continuously in cells of living organisms. While most of these damages are repaired, some accumulate, as the DNA Polymerases and other repair mechanisms cannot correct defects as fast as they are apparently produced. In particular, there is evidence for DNA damage accumulation in non-dividing cells of mammals. Genetic mutations occur and accumulate with increasing age, causing cells to deteriorate and malfunction. In particular, damage to mitochondrial DNA might lead to mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, aging results from damage to the genetic integrity of the body’s cells.
3) According to a United Nations report, the percentage of the U.S. population at age 65 and older is projected to increase by 20% by 2050. Overall, things have changed widely for lifespan in the world. Back in 1900, most babies born didn’t live past age 50. Today, babies born in 2012 have a life expectancy of 78.8 years in the U.S. alone.

A woman turning 65 today, can easily expect to live until age 86, while a man can expect to live until age 84. Right now, 1 in 20 women who are in their 40s, will likely reach 100 years old. Meanwhile, 1 in 40 men in their 40s will blow their 100 birthday candles.

The differences in lifestyle, income, education, and health have all to do with the fact that people are living longer than their parents. Let’s look at some predictions of the future of aging in America:

By 2025 the world’s population is expected to increase by one billion.
Of that billion, about 300 million people will be age 65 or older.
By 2025, about one-fifth of the total United States population will be 65 or older.
The number of people age 85 and older will grow 10-times, reaching 4% of the population by 2050.
Why Are People Living Longer Than Their Parents?
There is no doubt new generations are living longer. And in reality, there are many reasons why people are living longer than their parents. We live in a more advanced society that has lived through countless medical innovations. We are also more concerned with our wellness and health, which adds up to help us stay active and eventually live longer.

We Have Better Medicine Today:-
Consider that over the past few decades, plenty of medicines have made their way into our medicine cabinets, and many of these have been life-extending drugs, like ones that lower people’s cholesterol, beta blockers and ones that help prevent cardiovascular diseases.

There Are Better Medical Practices:-
Whether we are talking about better screening for possible illnesses or physicians learning from another half-century of data, there is no question that doctors are treating patients with more success than 50 years ago. Add that to the fact surgeons are also seeing better success, and it stands to reason people are living longer. The questions then become more about recovery than mortality.

The Many Advances in Technology:-
From better computers to better telecommunications and a faster ability to analyze data, the medical community is learning more from genetic sequencing, clinical trial data, patient record, and clinical trial data – and at a faster rate. This data will help the medical community find new disease markers, personalize treatment and help doctors make better decisions.

We’re Making Smarter Health Choices:-
From exercise to other habits, we are making much smarter choices about our health these days. In the past 49 years, smoking by high-school students and adults has dropped from 45% in 1965 to 16.7% in 2014, and that number is expected to reach 12% by 2020.

Food Trends and Government Programs:-
Even though an obesity epidemic has undoubtedly affected the United States, the issue has drawn more attention to the processed foods served by fast-food companies and grocery stores. Government policies and public campaigns have helped educate people on how to eat healthier and exercise better. This approach should offset any previous damages done.

4) Benign senescence forgetfulness is identified as a memory defect marked by the inability to immediately recall information. This information, whether recent or remote, is eventually recalled. Telomere damage, epigenetic dysregulation, DNA damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction are primary drivers of damage in aging. Several of these drivers of damage can induce senescence. Senescence can in turn drive.Senescence also influences the integrative aging hallmarks. It is typically considered age associated memory impairment.Age related changes in memory functions are observed clinically and in the experimental psychology laboratory. The commonly used notion of “benign senescent forgetfulness” implies that such changes are part of “normal” aging and not associated with central nervous system pathology.
Some investigators have advocated a diagnostic category, age-associated memory impairment, to define the memory loss that appears in healthy, elderly individuals. These concepts are problematic from a number of perspectives and need to be clarified and more rigorously investigated.

5) Physiological changes occur with aging in all organ systems. The cardiac output decreases, blood pressure increases and arteriosclerosis develops. The lungs show impaired gas exchange, a decrease in vital capacity and slower expiratory flow rates. With age, your skin thins and becomes less elastic and more fragile, and fatty tissue just below the skin decreases. You might notice that you bruise more easily. Decreased production of natural oils might make your skin drier. Wrinkles, age spots and small growths called skin tags are more common. Muscles are less toned and less able to contract because of changes in the muscle tissue and normal aging changes in the nervous system. Muscles may become rigid with age and may lose tone, even with regular exercise. Bones become more brittle and may break more easily.