Why do we age?

December 05, 2019

Never before have people lived as long as they do today. Medical ageing research deciphers what genes and lifestyle have to do with it. The aim is to develop therapies that will keep us healthy longer, even as we grow old. Does our concept of ageing – and the point in our lives at which we regard ourselves as old – shift too?

Photo: Foto: Brigitte Werner via Pixabay

Why do we age?

Ageing is not a sudden event, but rather a biological process that accompanies us throughout life – from birth to death. Due to medical progress and improved hygienic conditions, human life expectancy has almost doubled in the last 120 years. At the same time, however, the number and severity of old-age diseases are increasing too.

Every biological organism ages. But why is that? Does ageing have a “biological purpose”? Experts disagree on how to answer these questions. Nonetheless, many findings and theories suggest that both internal and external factors play a crucial role in ageing processes. We would like to present some of these theories here.

What can we do to prevent our bodies from ageing?

There’s nothing we can do to counteract ageing as such, except to honour its positive aspects. Ultimately, growing old is the only way to live a long life, as the French composer Daniel Francois Esprit Auber put it in a nutshell. After all, as we grow old, our precious wealth of experience grows too. The goal should be to prolong the span of health in old age as far as possible so that older people can actively participate in life for a long time.

Even though some ageing-related phenomena are thought to be genetic in origin, we can do a lot to maintain our health as we age. In addition to proper nutrition, it’s crucial to get enough exercise. Regular, moderate exercise helps the body relieve stress and reduces the production of free radicals. By additionally activating our immune systems, we can slow down ageing processes even more effectively.

Exercise not only strengthens our muscles, but also promotes the supply of vital nutrients to the skin. Athletes in general have particularly elastic skin. Those who continue to exercise regularly as they grow old are able to delay typical physical and mental signs of ageing.

In addition, we can try as much as possible to avoid exposure to harmful external influences such as UV radiation, maintain a healthy, low-calorie diet, and avoid body toxins such as alcohol or nicotine.