Causes of Aging

01 Mitochondrial Dysfunction

During aging, mitochondria — the power plants of our cells — become dysfunctional. Without adequate power, cells — and by extension, organs — are not able to perform as well as when they were young.

02 Cellular Senescence

Senescent cells are former healthy cells that stopped dividing and secrete substances that damage healthy surrounding cells. Commonly referred to as “zombie cells,” these cells increase exponentially with age and lead to tissue and organ damage.

03 Loss of Proteostasis

Over time, more and more proteins accumulate inside and outside our cells. These proteins should be cleaned up, and when they aren’t, interfere with the cells’ proper functioning.

04 Altered Cellular Communication

When we get older, our cells become increasingly exposed to a hostile environment, characterized by pro-inflammatory and other deleterious substances that hinder cells, including stem cells, to function properly.

05 Genomic Instability

During aging, our DNA becomes damaged, especially in stem cells and fast-dividing cells. Damaged DNA may result in improper cell function which impacts proper functioning of tissues and organs.

06 Epigenetic Alterations

During aging, the epigenome — the molecular machinery that regulates our genes’ activity — becomes disorganized. This leads to certain beneficial genes being turned off when they should be on, and genes that can cause trouble being turned on when they should be off.

07 Telomere Shortening

As we age, the ends of chromosomes, known as telomeres, get shorter and cannot protect DNA any longer. This can increase the likelihood of genomic instability and impair cell function.

08 Deregulated Nutrient Sensing

During aging, our cells become less tuned to nutrient signals, which disrupts a cell’s ability to utilize and produce energy. This can result in reduced energy and metabolic dysfunction.

09 Stem Cell Exhaustion

With age, stem cells become dysfunctional or die off. Since stem cells are responsible for producing new copies of our cells when they’re needed, having fewer or dysfunctional stem cells leads to our tissues being less replenished & maintained.

10 Disabled Macroautophagy

Macroautophagy disablement occurs when a body’s cells are unable perform a cellular self-cleaning known as autophagy. This leads to the accumulation of damaged or dysfunctional cellular components and is associated with cancer, metabolic and neurological disorders.

11 Inflammaging

Inflammaging is a chronic, low-grade inflammatory state that occurs as part of aging, and can be influenced by lifestyle factors. It can contribute to age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders.

12 Microbiome Dysbiosis

Dysbiosis is a disruption in the normal microbial community that inhabits an environment, like our guts. It can lead to digestive disorders, immune system dysfunction, and increased risk of infection and chronic disease.

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