Going through the aging process can be different for everyone. Some people show visible signs of aging while others still look like the fountain of youth. For others, aging may have an impact on their body and affect how they are able to get around. Although we can't always change how we age, there are some things that can make us age a little bit faster than we'd like.
Too Much Sitting
New research confirms that prolonged periods of sitting might hasten the aging process. Scientists concluded from research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology that people who sit for more than ten hours a day have cells that are eight years older than their real age.
Inactivity has been linked to accelerated cellular aging. Some discrepancy exists between chronological age and actual age. Study participants, women aged 64 to 95, filled out questions and wore an accelerometer for seven days. However, the research does not prove that a lack of exercise causes premature aging.
Age is a known component in the shortening of telomeres, but health and lifestyle choices may speed up the process. According to the study, women who sat for more than 10 hours a day and did not engage in 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day had shorter telomeres. These caps on the end of DNA strands protect chromosomes from degradation. Women who sat for longer periods did not see a reduction in telomere length if they engaged in regular physical activity for at least 30 minutes.
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Processed Foods
A new study presented at the 2020 European and International Obesity Congress suggests that eating highly processed foods high in fat, salt, sugar, and starch may hasten the aging process. The research revealed that eating at least three servings of processed food daily is related to shorter telomeres and a greater risk of chronic disease.
Eating three or more servings of processed food per day was associated with approximately double the risk of having short telomeres compared to eating less than two servings per day. Even a small amount of processed food daily enhances the risk. Researchers found that a 29-40% increase in the probability of short telomeres was seen in those who had two to three servings daily compared to those who consumed less than two.
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Lack Of Sleep
Sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality have been linked to premature brain aging and an increased risk of age-related cognitive decline and dementia. A buildup of B-amyloid protein fragments in the brain is to blame for this condition. Synapses (the junctions between neurons) are degraded, and nerve cells die because of this substance's buildup.
Others enjoy getting by on four or five hours of sleep a night, but this is a dangerous habit to get into if you want to keep your brain from aging prematurely. Instead, it would be best if you prioritized getting enough sleep.
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Loneliness
Although time spent alone might be beneficial for refreshing the brain and recharging the spirit, chronic isolation is never healthy. Your mental health will suffer even if you learn to like your own company.
People in the West, who tend to spend their time alone, suffer from a quiet plague of loneliness. This explains why these nations have such a low lifespan index. Groups conducted a collective study on the effects of loneliness on life expectancy at Chinese University, Stanford University, and Deep Longevity University.
Feelings of isolation may have a detrimental effect on our physical health as well as our mental and emotional states. Shockingly, according to a study published in the journal Aging, being sad and/or lonely might hasten aging more than smoking does.
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Stress
The human body prepares optimal circumstances for aging when it experiences chronic stress. Inflammation, telomere shortening, oxidative stress, and tissue damage are all outcomes of chronic inflammation. Because of this, it is crucial to proactively manage stress if it is a constant and persistent factor in your life.
Too Much Alcohol
Heavy drinking regularly has been linked to inflammation and accelerated aging. This includes skin dryness, organ failure, and lowered immunity.
Abuse of alcohol may decrease cognitive abilities because it disrupts communication between neurons and synapses. Therefore, reducing alcohol consumption is crucial for preserving youthfulness. To make matters worse, alcohol is often drunk in social settings, making abstinence much more challenging.
