Chemistry of Aging: Understanding the Changes in Your Body

When every person is born they will age throughout the years indefinitely. Along with aging comes health issues which can alter the way you live. This is why it is important to take care of your body and live a healthy life in order not to suffer the effects of aging when becoming an elder. Living a happy life in your elderly years makes for a more fulfilling life and a positive outlook which will last with you forever.

Introduction:

Aging is a part of life that is inevitable and will happen to everyone. Everyone ages at the same rate however with aging comes the increased possibility of diseases which can be life-threatening. These diseases such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts, and Alzheimer's disease can affect those in their older years as their body becomes much more fragile over time. As you enter your 60’s your body becomes weaker and deals with injuries at a much slower rate. This is due to various factors that cause the changes that come with aging such as wrinkled skin, impaired hearing, and slower comprehension. All these characteristics of aging are normal and they do have their reasons for happening however not knowing what is occurring in your body while aging can be dangerous.

Theoretical Analysis:

Gerontology is concerned primarily with the changes that occur between the time of maturity and the death of the individual, (Wetherill Shock, 2018). Oxidative stress causes cells and entire organisms to age. If reactive oxygen species accumulate, this causes damage to the DNA as well as changes in the protein molecules and lipids in the cell. The cell ultimately loses its functionality and dies. Over time, the tissue suffers, and the body ages, (German Cancer Research Center, 2018). This provides insight as to why the body ages at the rate it does and what factors accelerate the aging process. During these ages of life you will begin to feel slower and overall there is nothing known yet that can completely eliminate the effects of aging meaning all you can do is maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle to help reduce the effects of your aging.

Case Study:

While aging your entire body undergoes changes and slowly becomes less effective in general. There is a progressive thickening of the walls of larger blood vessels with an increase in connective tissue. The connective tissue itself becomes stiffer with increasing age. This occurs because of the formation of cross-links both within the molecules of collagen, a primary constituent of connective tissue, and between adjacent collagen fibers, (Wetherill Shock, 2018). The thickening of your blood vessels is one of the main reasons for the events that happen during aging. Things such as long-lasting bruises and low oxygen levels are almost entirely to blame for thickening blood vessels. Your body can also become vulnerable and specific habits can make this process happen even quicker, such as drinking and smoking excessively. For example, the nicotine in cigarettes causes the narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of your skin. This impairs blood flow to your skin. With less blood flow, your skin doesn't get as much oxygen and important nutrients causing wrinkles and other internal problems, (Taylor Hays, 2017.) Therefore, with aging comes a change in external appearance that can either occur rapidly or at a slower pace.

Discussion:

While aging it is known that bodily systems begin to shut down, not only the cardiovascular system. One of the systems that begin to shut down is the nervous system, the nervous system is responsible for sending signals all over the body from the brain such as pain, emotions, excitement, and general thoughts. It is normal for an elderly person to begin to lose certain memories however it is not known 100% why elders lose memory, (Taylor Hays, 2017.) Along with the loss of memory vision is impaired as the actual size of the pupil reduces, making it almost necessary for a pair of prescription glasses. Diseases in the eye such as glaucoma and cataracts increase in chances as you age however advanced surgeries have been able to remove these diseases completely, (Wetherill Shock, 2018). Therefore, as you age your vision does become vulnerable however there are surgeries you can do to restore the vision. Another part of your body that begins to shut down as you age is your hearing. Above the age of 50, the ability to hear noises at high frequencies begins to decline causing a more difficult time understanding speech, (Wetherill Shock, 2018). Over the years the severity of the hearing loss increases but almost never causes complete deafness which is a positive factor. With aging comes many changes within the body which alter the way you live.

Conclusion & Summary:

In conclusion, throughout the human aging process, various changes occur to your body that alters your exterior appearance and how your well your body performs. Bodily systems such as the nervous and digestive systems will begin to function at a slower rate which changes the way you live your everyday life. Ages 50-80 are among the most important ages as throughout these years your overall bodily functions begin to slow down. This is why it is important to stay active and healthy during your adolescence and adulthood as it will play a factor in the rate of which you age. If you were inactive and smoked cigarettes as an adult the harmful effects will increase your chances of disease and early death. However, living a healthy and active lifestyle will prolong your life and make sure you live the best life possible.