While there isn't any anti-ageing pill available yet, that doesn't mean you can't take steps to stay and look young, as well as be young at heart. — Filepic
There was recently a new study from Cold Spring Harbor, New York, in the United States, that says the body’s T-cells can be reprogrammed to fight ageing.
Our T-cells are a type of lymphocyte or white blood cell that is used in our immune system’s defence mechanism.
These scientists used a mouse model.
They found that T-cells can be used to fight off another type of cell called the uPAR (urokinase plasminogen activator receptor), which is associated with ageing.
These uPAR cells cause inflammation and increase as you age.
Therefore, if you can successfully fight off the uPAR cells, you should be able to slow down ageing.
There are many scientific reasons as to why we age.
Our DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is constantly being damaged by external and internal factors, such as UV (ultraviolet) radiation from sunlight.
It is estimated that our DNA is damaged up to a million times a day.
This constant damage is repaired immediately by our body.
However, these repairs are not perfect and a small amount of damaged cells remain.
These damaged cells accumulate as we age, resulting in reduced cell function.
Ultimately, our organ function also reduces.
DNA mutations can also lead to cancer growth.
That is why people who like to sunbathe without protection age much quicker than those who protect themselves!
Additionally, our cells keep dividing.
Every time a cell divides, a piece of the protective end cap of a chromosome, called the telomere, is lost.
The older we get, the shorter our protective chromosome ends become.
When the chromosome becomes too short, it stops dividing, and the cell either becomes dormant or dies.
This dormant or senescent cell can cause inflammation.
All these age us and trigger disease.
It’s a natural process.
There are lots of other processes that go on in our bodies that also cause us to age.
Our cellular and enzymatic proteins don’t get manufactured properly.
Our mitochondria inside our cells, which are cellular power plants, become dysfunctional.
Our stem cells get exhausted.
There is a lot of inflammation going on everywhere in our bodies.
I mean, we want to live forever, but our bodies won’t let us!
T-cells, as mentioned, exist in all of us.
They are produced by our bone marrow.
They are an important part of our immune system, and they help find and destroy potentially harmful things to our bodies like viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms.
There are different types of T-cells, all which perform different functions.
In the past few years, cancer research has shown that T-cells can be harnessed to fight cancer cells.
This has led to the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.
This is a type of immunotherapy where T-cells are taken from a patient, altered in a lab, then infused back into the patient to fight a certain type of cancer.
So, what the scientists in Cold Harbor did instead was to develop these CAR T-cells to eliminate “old” or senescent cells.
Of course, so far, this research has been done in mice.
But it could pave the way to developing something for humans.
Apparently, in the study, these “old” mice became healthier.
They actually lost weight, became more physically active, and had improved metabolism and better glucose tolerance.
The scientists also used the CAR T-cells in young mice.
These young mice also improved and aged far better than other young mice.
Not yet.
There might be in the future, but not right now.
However, you can do lots on your own right now to slow down your own ageing process.
Get enough sleep.
If you don’t sleep enough, your body releases more cortisol, which breaks down the collagen that keeps your skin smooth and springy.
Avoid alcohol, coffee and electronics before bedtime.
Exercise to keep your organs healthy and fit, and your muscles toned and firm.
Don’t forget the “30 minutes a day of moderate activity for five days a week” rule.
Eat sensibly and healthily.
Make sure you have a medical check-up often to prevent diseases from happening or to nip them early in the bud.
Avoid cigarettes, because they may lead to cancer, and also break down your skin collagen.
Then you can get wrinkly and saggy skin.
Avoid too much strong sunlight.
UV rays damage your collagen and make your body produce too much elastin, which is a protein that makes your skin thicken and feel rough.
Use SPF 50 sunscreen, and cover yourself up with hats and long sleeves if you must be in the sun.
Moisturise your skin often.
Have a social network to stave off Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health, computers and entertainment. For further information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
