Gold and food destroy his longevity, land and a cow his body, a horse his eye (sight), a garment his skin, clarified butter his energy, sesamum-grains his offspring. LAWS OF MANU

The long habit of living indisposeth us for dying. Sir THOMAS BROWNE

Aging and death do seem to be what Nature has planned for us. But what if we have other plans? BERNARD STREHLER.

We shall all perishdisorder; it is no magical effect of calendar dates on a mysterious life-force. Brittle bones, wrinkled skin, low enzyme activities, slow wound healing, poor memory, and the rest all result from damaged molecular machinery, chemical imbalances, and disarranged structures.

The people of Hunza, Kashmir; Vilcabamba, Eucador; and Abkhazia, Georgia purportedly live the longest. Though many have claimed living for over 150 years, tooth-enamel tests for aspartate (an amino acid) reveal ages between 100 and 110; their wrinkled-skin-look, because of exposure to excess ultraviolet rays, makes them look older. It appears that our body systems decline at a rate of about 1% per years. And that ought to give us about 100 years of good living. Researchers tell us today about a new way to look at the problem of aging by identifying its causes such as uncontrolled cross-linking. The results of conventional anti-aging research may substantially lengthen human life-spans and improve the health of the old.

The ultimate goal of scientists is to design machines to repair cells so long as their distinctive structures remain intact, and to be able to replace cells that have been destroyed. The global competition to make better materials, electronics, and biochemical tools is pushing us in the same direction. Cell repair machines will take years to develop, but they lie straight ahead. Genes turn egg cells into adults through a pattern of development which rolls forward at fairly steady speed. This pattern is fairly consistent because evolution seldom changes a basic design. Just as the basic pattern of the DNA-RNA-protein system froze several billions of years ago, so the basic pattern of chemical signals and tissue responses that guides mammalian development jelled many millions of years ago. That process apparently has a clock, set to run at different speeds in different species, and a program that runs out. Whatever the causes of aging, evolution has had little reason to eliminate them. Experiments by Dr. Leonard Hayflick suggest that cells contain "clocks" that count cell divisions and stop the division process when the count gets too high. In cancer, cells divide rapidly having lost their "clock." The same thing happens in aging where cell repair processes stop working. A genetic modification of human race can easily alter this process. However, until the new species of genetically designed perpetually youthful human appears on the horizon, we must listen to what the conventional anti-aging approaches tell us.

The Chemical Assault

We live in a closed Eco system. Ultraviolet light, X-rays, chemical pollutants of air (coming from automobile exhaust, burning or rotting of garbage, industrial smokes), use of alcohol, all produce free radicals capable of damaging our DNA (the genetic material), cell membrane and other sensitive organs of body. [Free radicals are highly charged and activated molecules or atoms that are ready to strike any cell in the body.] Every quart of air contains about one billion of the most damaging free radicals; in the normal process of metabolism body products billions of free radicals of its own. Mutations caused by free radicals are a major cause of cancer; they increase incidence of clotting by destroying body's ability to produce anti-clot factors; free radicals are also implicated in atherosclerosis since floating fats activated tend to deposit more readily into plaques; brain damage comes from free radicals by choking of oxygen in brain.

The rapidly changing environment with newer challenges from chemicals combined with a lifestyle of stress that makes us more vulnerable to the effects of free radicals, we need to provide additional armamentarium to our body to fight these off. We need to supplement body's store of vitamins A (specially beta carotene), C, E, selenium, zinc and amino acids cysteine (found in eggs) and other catechols found in bananas,, potatoes, grapes and other fruits, etc. Cholesterol itself acts as an essential antioxidant; lowering cholesterol levels to below normal required can induce many diseases. To reduce the load of free radicals, we must first reduce caloric intake because the more calories are burned, the more free radicals are produced; secondly we should restrict use of dietary copper and polyunsaturated fats (yes, the kind of fat highly touted for healthy heart); and finally reduce environmental exposure to smog and automobile exhaust. We should also learn about techniques of food storage to reduce free radicals. For example, cooking oil should not be used repeatedly, it should be securely stored and preferably some BHA or BHT added to it to protect it from oxidation.

Immune System

Our immune system protects us from the enemies all around and within us: bacteria, viruses, and even cancer and atherosclerotic plaques. As we age, our immune system's ability to protect us deteriorates seriously. Most deaths from cancer, atherosclerosis or infectious diseases are a result of failure of our immune system. The immune system is made up of thymus gland (located behind breastbone), several types of white cells (about one trillion blood cells which attack and kill offenders), bone marrow (which makes white cells), the spleen, lymph nodes and ducts, and a variety of protein and polypeptide chemical weapons such as antibodies (100 million trillion molecules), complement and interferon. The thymus gland shrinks at puberty and may malfunction; this is likely one of the major causes of immune system failure. In AIDS, the failure of immune systems brings a demise that can not be reversed. We can keep our thymus humming and through it the white cells activated and properly directed by taking vitamins A, C, E, the amino acid cysteine, ornithine, arginine; and minerals zinc and selenium. Some enzymes such as bromelain found in pineapple and papain found in papaya are also found to activate immune system. (If you take too much of these fruits, your mouth becomes sore and tender especially at the corners of your lips.) The fruit enzymes in papaya and pineapple also help decrease cross linking of tissues including skin and arteries; this is one of the major aging progression. Cross linking is also reduced by vitamins A, B1, B5, B6, C, E, and PABA; and the minerals zinc and selenium.

Waster Removal

Body accumulates a lot of waste as a result of normal metabolism; lipofuscin and amyloid are two pigments that tend to accumulate and are not readily eliminated. Other products of metabolism are readily eliminated through kidneys, perspiration, breath and other body fluids. How important are these mechanisms of elimination is often underestimated. Kidney diseases, respiratory disorders and reduced heart function, all reduce our ability to eliminate waste. We may live with these conditions through use of drugs but their effect on aging is remarkable. To keep the body metabolic elimination in order

Brain Function

One sign of aging is the decline in the chemical messengers of brain: the neurotransmitters. This not only slows down our reflexes but also causes many mental disorders ranging from depression to mania. Some of the important neurotransmitters are acetylcholine, norepinephrine, gammaaminobutyric acid, dopamine; many of these neurotransmitters are lost because of oxidation. Control the decay of brain neurotransmitters by using balanced diets to provide vitamins listed above as antioxidants. Many drugs are now available with remarkable effects on the level of these neurotransmitters. Food selection however remains only viable alternate to controlling our brain chemicals. Foods also alter our mood and we should do well knowing how to exploit this tool. Foods containing tyrosine make us alert; those containing tryptophan calm us down. Though food contains both amino acids, more tyrosine reaches brain when high protein meals are taken making us more alert and energized. It is a complex mechanism but understanding that eating proteins with or without carbohydrates increases levels of tyrosine in our brain but when taking carbohydrates without proteins, tryptophan finds its way to brain soothing or slowing us down. The net effect is that proteins make us more alert, more motivated, more mentally energetic and "up." Carbohydrates eaten alone make us feel less stressed, less anxious, more focused and relaxed.

The stereotypical belief that eating a candy bar or sugar gives you instant energy is wrong. What happens is that carbohydrates cause release of insulin which then pushes amino acids into brain preferentially tryptophan calming our body and we feel better composed, not more enegetic. In designing eating regimens around this theory, care should be given in selecting foods low in fats; vegetable proteins and lentils work wonders in energizing our bodies. Surprisingly, brain has a remarkable ability to control our body.

The irony is that despite all care, we will still die. The choice we have is to die later and with less suffering; or else we can choose to die stupid. What gives boost to this rhetoric is that today we consider aging to be natural. Not so long ago, we considered smallpox to be natural; it is quite likely that we will conquer aging. In summary, to live to our programmed potential, we must: breath clean air, eat fewer calories, eat right calories and maintain a healthy mental disposition. Absolutely nothing that we do not already know but absolutely everything we are working contrary to every day. What an irony.

[22 February 1995]