Since time immemorial, the concept of eternal youth has existed as a distant dream… or maybe not? We can talk about how this idea floats mysteriously on an abstract level of reality. Or how this interest in immortality has no material effect outside the fantasies of business leaders and others. technobros impatient to live in cyberpunk 2077Just because it’s a cultural cliché—one we get through books, movies, and video games—doesn’t mean it’s our need as a species. Or as a society. It’s not even possible, because in fact some studies suggest a kind of upper limit to the average life expectancy of the species. We’re not immortal, much less forever young: we’re getting older.agingOur relationship with it and its effect on our health is a completely different and more realistic issue. And science knows this very well.
Aging is a phenomenon that we are familiar with. We can define it as gradual loss of function Which means, as we age, fertility declines and mortality increases. Over the past century, humanity – especially in Western countries – has experienced unprecedented demographic aging due to several factors, such as increased life expectancy and declining birth rates. This is a major challenge because, as you can imagine, at older ages people are more susceptible to a wide range of diseases and are more resistant to treatments or vaccines. To grow older, we must grow older, but perhaps we can prevent this from being a punishment from the gods.
After all, inside the cell, aging is a kind of thing. from the accumulation of damageThe cellular machinery is affected in its functioning, even DNA, and eventually our repair mechanisms cease to be effective. A spiral of deterioration begins, slowly but relentlessly: tissues are eroded, balances are broken and physiological symptoms appear.
One of the major players in this whole mess is immune system -Yes, it is responsible for recognizing, activating the response and eliminating all foreign elements from our body. The effect works twofold. On the one hand, aging affects the production of different types of immune cells. They are not produced in the right proportions, which in itself affects their performance, and their production chain also fails and at the same time we say that they are damaged, that is, they have become aging. Old age It requires a quick break. It’s a very important mechanism, where a cell that has suffered irreparable damage loses its capabilities without dying, and sends out signals to be eliminated by the immune system. It’s both a cry for help and a maintenance operation: it prevents serious tissue damage and even cancer. Because yes, the immune system is one of our main defenses against cancer in many ways. But as we age, aging gets out of hand and the balance is broken. Here comes the second part: senescent cells send signals to an immune system that is also aging, and disaster begins. The result is a spiral of damage and generalized inflammationIn English, this phenomenon has a fancy name: Red-hot (senile inflammationif we want to continue the game through translation).
It is very difficult to measure and track the envelope, because it affects each cell type differently.
It is clear then that the immune system is essential to maintaining the health of the body. If it works well, it helps maintain balance while preventing the accumulation of too many deficiencies. That is why there are Different strategies Which are being tested to reverse some of the effects of aging. This includes attacking aging itself to reduce inflammatory signals to restore normal levels, production, or proper functioning of immune cells.
We shouldn’t expect these potential treatments to be the elixir of life, or the philosopher’s stone, not in the long run. But yes, for starters, they could help reverse the inflammation associated with aging — and the problems that come with it — and help make more effective Protection from vaccines or immunotherapies against cancer.
However, we are not moving that fast. Before all this we still need a very clear and specific idea of aging. It is very difficult to define and follow, because it affects each type of cell differently. Its comprehensive description is a challenge that science is taking up with great progress.
At the same time, how can we pretend to seek eternal youth if we are on the threshold of understanding the ravages of time? Anyway, whoever wants to can take a picture and keep it in a very secret place.
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