Can a Baby Boomer Slow the Aging Process?
We all start off life just like a perfect iron pipe fresh from the smelter…then, just like the brand new pipe, we are exposed to the elements. For a human being, a particularly problematic element is oxygen. While oxygen is necessary for survival, it’s presence in the body also causes damage.
Take the iron pipe that just came from the smelter…over time, if there is no maintenance to that pipe, it will start rusting, pitting, and decaying. Unfortunately, the same thing happens to us. The process will take longer than it would in an iron pipe, but the process is exactly the same…AND the reason for it is exactly the same. Oxygen. If the rust is in your arteries, you will develop atherosclerosis. If the rust is in your brain, you will eventually have Alzheimer’s disease. If the rust is in your liver, you will end up with cirrhosis. If the rust is in your kidneys, you will ultimately call it end stage renal disease. If it is in your pancreas, you will wind up with diabetes. The fundamental process that occurs with all these diseases of aging is ‘rust’…and rust on a pipe is equal to inflammation in the body. Rust is equal to oxidation.
Think about oxygen outside of the body. If you put a match to it, it ignites. Oxygen is a burning substance. The same thing happens in the body. The result of using oxygen as the fuel to create all the chemical reactions in our bodies is that we also create burning substances called oxidants every time that a chemical reaction occurs…and chemical reactions occur over and over and over every day of your life. These burning substances will damage the membrane of a cell - thus limiting the ability of the cell to function at maximum potential. The result is a cell that is rusting. BUT, we can stop the ‘rust’ through the use of antioxidants. While we can slow down the aging process with antioxidants, it is extremely important to remember that all antioxidants are not created equal…
