Old age on schedule: when and how do our organs change their work?
Old before your time: When your body really starts going downhill
Daily Mail, 15.08.2008
Translation: AIF
In childhood and youth, our body grows and develops, then exists, as they say, according to a rolled-up scheme, and then begins to age gradually. It turns out that different organs begin to age at different times. How does this manifest itself?
Brain – 20 yearsThe brain is the most important and one of the most vulnerable organs of our body.
And he starts getting old before anyone else. This process is characterized by a reduction in the number of nerve cells, the consequence of which is a deterioration of memory, coordination, speech skills, and so on. By the age of forty, the rate of neuronal loss can reach 10,000 cells per day, and even faster in people suffering from various mental disorders.
Another age–related loss of our brain is the connections between neurons called synapses. They provide information transfer from one cell to another, and the reduction in their number over the years also affects the functioning of our brain.
Digestive system – 55 years oldThe main sign of healthy digestion is the balance between harmful and beneficial flora, which can be disrupted both due to improper nutrition and simply over time.
The number of beneficial bacteria begins to decrease rapidly after 55, which leads to an increased risk of stomach infections, constipation and poor digestion.
Chest – 35 years oldAt this age, even the owners of the most magnificent forms begin to have problems with the bust.
The fact is that over time, the volume of adipose tissue in the female breast decreases, the skin loses elasticity, and the breast begins to sag, as they say. But it's much scarier that with age, tissue cells can mutate and turn into cancerous, so after 35, it's better for women to visit a mammogram more often.
Bladder – 65 years oldAging of this organ threatens you with inconvenience caused by constant "urges", and perhaps even incontinence.
Women are especially susceptible to these problems: their bladder volume is halved by the age of 70 compared to, for example, 35, and even the muscles in the groin area lose their tone. As a result, a woman has to visit the "ladies' room" almost every 20 minutes, but the bladder is not completely emptied, and this increases the risk of developing some kind of infection many times.
Lungs – 20 yearsFrom this period, the volume of your lungs begins to gradually decrease.
In addition, the entire muscular system that controls our breathing gradually weakens, and as a result, by the age of 40, some unlucky people begin to literally suffocate. By the 70s, the volume of air that we can inhale at a time is reduced by about half compared to the 30s.
Voice – 65 years oldWith age, the voice becomes quieter, hoarseness appears.
This is explained by the fact that the soft tissues of the larynx lose elasticity and tone. As a result, a woman may find that she began to talk almost in a bass voice, and a man, on the contrary, will begin to "sound" a little higher than before.
Eyes – 40 years oldFor most 40-year-olds, glasses or lenses are commonplace.
The most common ailment that overtakes our eyes in old age is farsightedness, which develops due to the weakening of the eye muscles and the loss of the ability to concentrate by the eye.
Hearing – 55 years oldAccording to statistics, almost half of people over 60 have serious hearing problems and even suffer from deafness.
The reason is the loss of so–called hair cells, which pick up the vibration of the air and send information to the brain.
Taste and smell – 60 yearsWhen young, the number of taste buds on the tongue reaches about 10,000.
By old age, it is reduced by about half. The same is the case with the sense of smell.
The heart is 40 years oldThe aging of this organ is marked by the fact that the blood in our body accelerates much slower than before.
The vessels become less elastic, the patency of the arteries is reduced by cholesterol plaques, the risk of having a heart attack increases significantly every year.
Liver – 70 years oldThis is perhaps the most age-resistant organ in the entire human body.
Its cells have an amazing ability to recover quickly and at low cost, so an entire organ can literally be grown from one fragment in a few months. Using this magical property, transplantologists often take organs from 70-year-old donors to treat much younger patients.
Kidneys – 50 years oldAt the age of 50, the tissues that serve as a kind of filter for our body and remove all harmful substances from our blood begin to age and shrink in volume.
The effectiveness of the kidneys from 30 to 70 years falls by half. In fact, this leads to urinary incontinence and pain when urinating.
Prostate – 50 years oldThe prostate does not shrink over time, but, on the contrary, grows, absorbing more and more of the hormone testosterone.
The normal size of this organ is about the size of a walnut, with age it can increase to an orange. This leads again to problems with urination, which, according to statistics, haunt about half of all men over 50. At the same time, 40-year-olds are almost unfamiliar with such difficulties.
The skeleton is 35 years oldThroughout our life, the cells of our bones are gradually renewed.
In children, this process takes a couple of years, in adults and the elderly it can stretch for dozens. The rate of renewal begins to fall at about 35, which leads to weakening of bones, increased risk of fractures, slow healing. In addition, over the years, our skeleton literally shrinks in size, so by the age of 80 a person can lose up to 5 centimeters of height.
Teeth – 40 years oldSalivary glands are working worse and worse, saliva is not able to wash away all harmful bacteria from the surface of the teeth, so teeth and gums become much more susceptible to any infection.
Gum infections are a common problem among those over 40.
Muscles – 30 years oldIf you exercise regularly, you have a chance to check yourself how the condition of your muscles changes after 30.
It's getting harder to train, and relief no longer appears after a couple of weeks of classes on a case-by-case basis. But these are all flowers: doctors say that after 40 years our body begins to lose from 0.5 to 2% of muscle mass per year. However, constant exercise will help you avoid this.
Skin – 20 years oldAging of the skin is explained by a reduction in the synthesis of collagen and elastin – substances that maintain the elasticity of the skin and help it recover from injuries and stretch marks.
In addition, the skin itself is updated much more slowly, changes color, becomes thinner. Smoking and frequent direct exposure to the sun can speed up this process.
Sexual system – 35 yearsIn women, the productivity of the genitals begins to fall after 35, along with it, the chances of getting pregnant also decrease.
From the same age, the quality of male sperm deteriorates, therefore, women who conceived with a man after 35 have a much higher risk of miscarriage.
Hair – 30 years oldA human hair can grow for 3 years, after which it falls out, giving place to another.
In men, this process is influenced by the amount of testosterone, which begins to fall with age. As a result, the hair follicles gradually shrink, the hair becomes thinner and eventually stops growing. As for gray hair, it appears due to a reduction in the amount of pigment in the follicle, and each new hair grows lighter than the previous one.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru15.07.2008