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Rate of Aging, Quality of Life, Health and Longevity
by Clarityandfocus (Moderator @ www.sculptedbyiron.com)
I find myself studying up on anti-aging every chance I get. My interest began when I passed age 30. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, wasted valuable time, and want to make the most of my remaining years. Foundationally speaking, the genesis of the autumn years of life needs to be grounded in optimal physical health and vitality. All else will flow from there if one has made the mental/emotional adjustments concurrent with the passing of time and life events. Biological processes are the most basic aspect of overall health to decline first. I think if aging  can be slowed or reversed, the latter years of life may be the finest.
"Aging" defined seems to be the stress, wear and tear imposed upon the human organism which is associated with each day of living. Centenarians appear to have one thing in common. Their lifestyles have varied in many respects, yet they all have relatively low insulin. They are insulin sensitive. Insulin seems to have it's hand in virtually every aspect of disease and aging. Controlling insulin is "huge." The public is uneducated on this issue. Insulin sensitivity can be restored to very youthful levels. Doing so virtually guarantees a much longer, healthier life. It requires education and a little self discipline. Insulin resistant persons exist in a state of "reversed nutrient partioning." I made up the term and I guess it is synonymous with terms like ("catabolic" AND "lipogenic"). Anyway, I say this because it is the opposite of insulin sensitivity or nutrient partitioning (two terms I consider interchangeable). In an individual who is insulin sensitive, his macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbs) are primarily shuttled (partitioned) by insulin into the lean, living tissues to nourish the body and be burned for fuel. When someone is insulin resistant, the cells in the lean, living tissues of the organism are resistant to the partitioning effects of insulin. Well, between the liver, skeletal muscle and adipose cells, fat cells are the last to become resistant. Therefore, what the lean, living cells cannot take up and burn gets readily escorted into the fat stores. Also, the insulin resistant person primarily burns sugar for fuel. Yes, this mostly includes muscle glycogen. This individual rarely gets the chance to burn fat for fuel due to high fasting blood insulin levels. This is due to the pancreas continually pushing out more insulin to control blood sugar being pumped out by an insulin resistant liver. The muscles (good example) will not respond properly to insulin. Blood sugar level rises, as blood sugar needs a home. It needs to be disposed of. The result is high insulin levels all the time, up to 90 units or more. Very bad. When energy demands are placed on the body, where will the energy come from? It will come from sugar. Why? One reason is that lipolysis is inhibited in the presence of high insulin levels. What we have here now is a state of continual catabolism and fat deposition. This is the opposite of what any of us want. The only time we should be burning sugar for fuel is above 65-70% of  VO2 max. Sugar burns hotter than fat and provides a tremendous amount of energy for brief periods. However, the insulin resistant individual is burning sugar in a resting state, or when walking, for example. When calories are consumed, they are readily stored as fat rather than stored in skeletal muscle for fuel. When calories are burned, they come from muscle. This person has completely fucked themselves and it sucks...
Heart disease and diabetes find their breeding ground here. Insulin resistance is responsible for shitty lipid profiles and arterioscleroses. The dynamics of this issue are vast...
As we age, we are blessed with the counsel of the years resulting in wisdom. I see the trade off being physical deterioration. The most glaring example of that which comes to mind is the hormonal decline producing a cascade of metabolic events in the human body. Examples of declining hormones are DHEA, testosterone, estrogen, hgh, thyroid and many others. This results in a slowed metabolism and a negative shift in the body composition. Skin loses it's elasticity and the wear and tear from years of daily living becomes apparent. Every cell of the body is affected in varying ways.
Free radicals are produced as a result of normal metabolic functioning. Oxygen is a life giving, yet very poisonous substance. It gives us life and kills us. Food is the same way. The digestion of the very substances that give us biological life place more wear and tear on the body (aging) than any other activity we perform in the routines of daily living. Science shows that caloric restriction prolongs life. I have my opinions why (based on my studies). In the process of cellular respiration, the production of energy, the digestion of food and a host of environmental factors we are exposed to (some we cannot live without), there is about a 1-2% inefficiency. See, the human metabolism is very efficient, almost perfect. However, it is this 1-2% inefficiency that fucks us... This small margin of error causes us big problems. Ultimately, it kills us. Free radicals are born here. Mitochondria are the powerhouses where cellular energy is produced in every cell of the human body. This is a prime example of where unpaired electrons (free radicals) are born. An unpaired electron is unstable. Essentially, free radicals "steal" electrons from stable molecules, making them unstable. This causes a chain reaction which damages cellular DNA and wreaks havoc at the cellular level throughout the organism. DNA repairs itself, but there are mistakes. These mistakes can cause permanent damage, speeding the aging process as well as setting the stage for sickness and disease.
IMO, the issues I have touched on tonight are key for those of us over age 35. We can improve our overall quality of life through education, exercise, dietary choices, hormones and the proper use of OTC supplements. There is cutting edge science on these topics available to us all. Rate of aging, health and quality of life can be influenced and controlled with a little study and discipline.
I am eager to learn more.
* Article by Clarityandfocus (Moderator @ www.sculptedbyiron.com)
* Back to Issue #5 Frontpage
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