Category: Health and Fitness

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/12/newer-epigenetic-clocks-do-demonstrate-correlations-with-risk-of-alzheimers-disease/

Researchers here report that more recently developed second generation epigenetic clocks do in fact demonstrate correlations between accelerated epigenetic age and risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Clocks are developed from databases of the status of DNA methylation sites on the genome in people of various ages. Some of these sites tend to become more or less methylated with advancing age, allowing machine learning approaches to derive algorithms that match a pattern of methylation to a chronological age. An accelerated epigenetic age implies that an individual’s epigenetics look more like those of someone with an older chronological age. The implication is that such an individual suffers a greater bu…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/12/the-physiological-aging-index-only-slightly-improves-on-the-phenoage-clock/

Any sufficiently complex set of biological measures can be used to produce an aging clock: researchers establish a database of the measures in people of different ages and apply machine learning techniques to produce an algorithm that maps an individual’s measured data to a predicted age. That doesn’t mean it is a good clock, however. One then has to validate the algorithm against data from other populations and see how well it does in predicting disease, mortality, and other outcomes of interest. Much of the development of clocks is focused on epigenetic data, but distinctly from that line of research, the scientific community is also exploring clocks built on clinical measures, such as blood chemistry, physical performance, and so fo…

Source https://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-to-have-a-meaningful-holiday-season-on-your-own-terms/

“Take a little time to be amazed by something you won’t enjoy unless you consciously choose to focus on it. See the things you can’t see when you’re rushing. Hear the things you can’t hear when you’re stressing.  Get so caught up in your senses that everything else seems to stop for a moment—because things don’t actually stop. So we have to be the ones who do it.” ~Lori Deschene

As December unfolds, I’ve made a conscious choice that feels both liberating and true to myself: I’m celebrating a quiet Christmas at home with just my best friend.

While my family lives far away, and tradition might dictate buying plane tickets and planning an elaborate holiday visit, I’m listening to a deeper wisdom this year—one that honors my personal growth, sens…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/12/preventing-enlargement-of-the-nucleolus-slows-aging-in-yeast-cells/

The nucleolus resides in the cell nucleus, and is where ribosomes are assembled. It is known that the nucleolus grows larger with age, and in cells that have undergone a sufficient number of divisions to approach the Hayflick limit. Here, researchers provide evidence for harms caused by enlargement of the nucleolus in aging, using a novel approach that prevents the nucleous from enlarging without manipulating other aspects of cell function. It remains to be seen as to how one might progress from this engineering exercise to interventions that target the nucleolus, and whether <a href="https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/03/predicting-the-order-o…

Source https://www.theminimalists.com/four/

By The Minimalists · Follow: Facebook, Instagram

People sometimes ask why we wrote four books. “That’s not very minimalist!” Hehe. Well, when you’re a minimalist, everything you do is steeped in irony. In truth, each book communicates a unique perspective on simple living.

Everything That Remains is the <e…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/12/clonal-hematopoiesis-of-indeterminate-potential-increases-the-risk-of-stroke/

A cell is a bag of molecules, all constantly slamming into each other at high speed. Damage to intricate structures such as the packaged DNA of the cell nucleus occurs all time. Most of it is fixed immediately by the highly efficient DNA repair machinery, but a tiny fraction slips through to produce mutations in the sequences describing proteins. In general, even this mutational damage is mostly harmless, except when it hits exactly the right gene to produce a cancerous cell. The damage usually occurs in regions of DNA not used in that cell, or in genes that are used but are not all that important to cell function, or it occurs in a cell that has only a few replications left before reaching the Hayflick limit<…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/12/considering-the-relationship-between-menopause-and-the-aging-of-the-gut-microbiome/

The composition of the gut microbiome changes with age in ways that contribute to loss of function and inflammation throughout the body. Evidence from animal studies suggests that the influence of the gut microbiome on long-term health may be similar to that of lifestyle choices such as exercise and diet. Here, researchers discuss what is known of the relationship between menopause and the gut microbiome. As is the case for immune aging, this is likely a bidirectional relationship, each side negatively impacting the other.

<…

Source https://tinybuddha.com/blog/its-okay-to-disappoint-people-when-youre-honoring-yourself/

“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.” ~Brené Brown

On a recent day trip to the Yuba River with my daughter and two friends, unexpected tensions arose, offering me a chance to reflect on a lifelong pattern that has often complicated my relationships. It was a beautiful day, and I’d been looking forward to soaking up the sun and relaxing by the water—but my friend had a more adventurous day in mind.

Though a footbridge led to a clear trail, she suggested we take a more difficult route over steep boulders. Despite my initial hesitation, I went along, wanting to be open to her plans. But as I navigated the rocks with weak knees and slippery Birkenstocks, I started to regret my choice.

Each step…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/12/declining-autonomic-nervous-system-function-correlates-with-declining-physical-function/

Many aspects of aging tend to progress in parallel, which is much as one might expect if considering aging to be a collection of outcomes that all arise from the same underlying forms of cell and tissue damage. So finding a correlation isn’t always evidence that there is some link between outcomes in aging. Here, researchers note an association between physical capacity and autonomic nervous system function in late life. It is quite possible to theorize on cause and consequence, and the mechanisms involved, in this situation – but actually proving any of those connections is quite a different story.

The autonomic nervous system plays unique and pivotal roles in maintaining physiological homeostasis. These roles are mainly exerted through their effects on the function…