Finding the fountain of youth has captured the interest of humans for millennia and the search is far from over. With the anti-aging industry valued at upwards of $50 billion and expected to grow at a consumer average growth rate (CAGR ) of 7.7% over the next 5 years, it’s no secret that most of us are trying to age gracefully. Beauty brands are profiting off the inevitable fate of aging and even convincing the youth to get ahead of potential wrinkles by buying the latest and greatest face creams.
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to age gracefully and take good care of your health, there is a major flaw in the anti-aging industry. That flaw is that these intensive precautions and expensive products don’t actually stop aging, despite leading consumers to believe this is what they can do. They simply just make us appear younger on the surface level. The reality is that our bodies will continue to age on a cellular level each year despite using the most expensive and proven skin treatments. While the aesthetic benefits are wonderful and can certainly add to a youthful appearance, they’re not going anywhere beyond the surface.
“The reality is that our bodies will continue to age on a cellular level each year despite using the most expensive and proven skin treatments.”
Anti-aging treatments and the desire to look young forever are often seen as aspirational, but at the end of the day, we’re all lucky if we’re able to live a long enough life where we get to experience the process of aging. It is truly a privilege to grow older, but there’s no shame in attempting to maintain the health and vitality of our youth. But as the years go by, our bodies inevitably start to slow down and show signs of damage. Researchers have ultimately pinpointed that the main reasons for this are that our cells become damaged overtime and our bodies begin struggling with cleaning up the mess that comes with age.
“It is truly a privilege to grow older, but there’s no shame in attempting to maintain the health and vitality of our youth.”
Overtime, we can experience DNA damage as our cells divide and make mistakes. Similarly to making a typo in a text, the same thing can happen within our DNA. When we’re younger, our bodies can typically correct these typos, but overtime, they become more difficult to correct. When these errors sneak into our DNA, it can cause our cells to not work properly. Poor cell division can also lead to the risk of developing cancer.
Additionally, when our cells divide, our chromosomes, structures which carry our genetic information, will shorten slightly. At the end of each chromosome are protective tips called telomeres. Think of telomeres like an aglet on a shoelace. Each time our cells divide, the telomere shortens. Overtime, the tips become too short and cells can no longer divide, making the body unable to replace old cells with new ones.
Epigenetics can also play a major role in the aging process. Think of your genes like a switch that can be turned on or off. That switch can be flipped depending on our environment. Factors like a poor diet, lack of sleep, and a sedentary lifestyle can influence gene expression and even trigger genetic predispositions to diseases like Alzheimer’s. The good news is that we also have the power to influence these switches in a positive direction. Healthy habits like proper nutrition, daily movement, and good quality sleep can help support optimal gene expression and slow certain aging processes. However, as we age, these epigenetic patterns can shift, and our bodies may respond differently to the same inputs. For example, the heart may not react as positively to certain types of vigorous exercise as it once did.
The mitochondria is another key element to vitality as it is the powerhouse of our cells. As a result of aging, there comes less efficient mitochondrial function which consequently begins to slow down everything else in the body. And if the slow cellular functioning was not enough, our bodies also struggle to remove any messes causing slower detoxification. Our bodies struggle to replace old cells and repair the cells that did not divide right.
All that to say, we’re not totally doomed when it comes to the aging process. Aging is a completely normal and gradual part of our physiology and there are ways to allow for healthier aging with a better quality of life. Scientists are eager to help find ways to deal with these issues better. While they begin to research new drugs and advanced treatments to help with aging, right now, they say that the best thing you can do to age gracefully is just stick to the classics. A healthy, balanced diet, a positive mindset and routine exercise will go further than even the most expensive anti-aging creams.
“Aging is a completely normal and gradual part of our physiology and there are ways to allow for healthier aging with a better quality of life.”
Despite the relentless pursuit of anti-aging products and treatments, the goal is not to create fear around aging but rather empower people with the education and research they need to take care of their health. We’re living longer than ever before, but that also means we’re now more likely to develop noncommunicable chronic diseases that come with age. Dementia and cancer have become the leading causes of death globally. In the past, communicable diseases like infections and viruses posed the greatest health risk. With advancements in medicine and improved public health measures, we’ve significantly reduced those threats and allowed for more people to live longer lives.
While scientists and companies putting all their efforts into developing more advanced anti-aging treatments to help slow the aging process on a cellular level, it is in everybody’s hands to experience better quality of life in their later years and increasing their health span by adhering to the simple and well known facts of a healthy lifestyle.
Amanda Johnson is a recent graduate from the University of Southern California where she received her degree in Psychology. In addition to her university studies, she earned her Integrative Nutrition Health Coach certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN).
✓ This article was reviewed and approved by Emeran Mayer, MD