Aging is a part of life that everyone will eventually face, whether in 20 years or 75 years; it is coming. There are many celebrities that we have watched age timelessly like Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Helen Mirren. Celebs aged gracefully. The question a majority of people wonder, is whether it is only celebrities and people with wealth that can still look young as they age or if non-celebrities with not as much money can be that way too. What it all comes down to according to the NIH and several scientists, is the genetic makeup of the body and what a person can do to prevent a disease-free, calm aging.
At conception, a person’s dna is configured to his/her own genetics from their parents and ancestors. Trends in the dna, like longevity of the person’s relatives can predict whether they will live longer or shorter. Likewise, with diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimers, etc., doctors are able to find out if you will get that just by looking at the makeup of a person’s dna.The Genetics of age-related health. In terms of aging, the National Institute of Aging has conducted tests to determine whether genetics has a hand in a way a person will age.
‘While it is very difficult to prove that a gene influences aging in humans, a relationship, or ‘association,’ may be inferred based upon whether a genetic variant is found more frequently among successful agers, such as centenarians, compared with groups of people who have an average or short lifespan and health span,”(NIA). Research-based studies on aging have been tested on animals that have relatively similar dna structures to humans. Studies have shown that people that live longer and have a healthier lifestyle contain the same gene. In other studies according to NCBI , a child has more of a certain dna and as they age they lose that certain gene and are more susceptible to contracting a disease. NCBI aging
In our society, there are anti-aging creams and drugs that you can take to prevent aging. But back in the 1950’s, there were no creams, just a healthier lifestyle. Dr. Michael Dasco, a doctor from 1959, had an article in Time magazine that addressed the issue of aging.TIME aging. In a projection by the U.S. Census Bureau for 2020, 2020 Census pg.2, people aged 55-74 hold a larger chunk in the population, and people aged older are much fewer. This case could possibly be linked to the genetics, but more importantly the lifestyle that a person leads.
“The marks that make up the epigenome are affected by your lifestyle and environment and may change, for example, based on what you eat and drink, if you smoke, what medicines you take, and what pollutants you encounter. Most epigenetic changes are likely harmless, but some could trigger or exacerbate a disease or condition, such as your risk for age-related diseases,”(NIA).National Institute of Aging. This study by the NIA is a future prediction that has been happening for the past decades, but with a different name. The introduction to this new terminology of epigenetics is described by the NIA as “nature and nurture, or more specifically genetics and the environment.” All of this information makes sense to readers that what they allow to do to their bodies will affect their lifespan and how their body will age. The environment arguably is one of the leading causes of people aging so quickly. People that tan regularly will have wrinkly skin, as well as women that wear makeup that causes damaged skins and toxins. People that smoke will have a higher chance of lung cancer and people that have an unhealthy diet are more likely to contract diseases.
The bottom line is that people need to be aware of how they are treating their bodies because it could move the aging process along a little faster. Although there is still so much research to be discovered about the connection between aging and genetics, longevity and similarities between different genes does show it being a factor of aging. Aging is not something humans can stop, but we can be aware of how to prevent diseases and stay healthy.
Although doing these things can’t stop physical aging, exercise and living a healthy lifestyle definitely lessens the physical effects of aging on a person. My grandma, for example, kept in shape her entire life. She was never a fan of fast food or freezer meals. She always took care of her skin with a multitude of beauty products and in turn, she is mistaken for my mom at times!