MOST of us know we are aging without knowing how we age. It is as natural as life itself. And, practically, it is an inevitable outcome in an existence that is subject to the law of gravity. In physics, gravity makes it possible for us to step outside our homes, walk on the street without getting sucked up into the skies.
Another physical reality that contributes to aging is friction. Once again, in physics, friction enables us to move around because without friction, we are totally subject to the law of momentum: All things that move will continue to move. That is, unless friction counteracts momentum. Our vehicle’s brake system makes use of friction in order to stop the car in a specific place we want it to.
Aging also results from all forms of friction. From the cleaning mechanisms of the body that removes metabolic byproducts, including preservatives, artificial sweeteners, agricultural chemicals etc., to environmental stresses (e.g. work conflicts, marital clashes, family disputes, pollution, bad news etc.). All our lives, we face friction that we have to manage, often with wounds of any form, just to see the day through. And then, when the morning comes, more friction to see through.
Through the years, our body weakens and degenerative changes set in.
Aging, for instance, is the predominant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. After years of resisting stress and effectively remodeling and repairing the blood vessel walls, aging decreases this ability and weakens the heart, making the system vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases.
Recently, however, six researchers from the University of Missouri Kansas City, School of Medicine, confirmed the capability of resveratrol in inducing the heart telomerase reverse transcriptase (Tert) activity in the human heart smooth muscles. Telomers are nucleotides found at the extreme ends of the human chromosomes, which indicates biological age. Tert maintains its optimal functioning by maintaining its length. Tert activity weakens with aging, thus, resulting to the weakening of the heart. Resveratrol can reactivate weakened Tert, thus, preventing or at least delaying, the aging process of the cells in the heart and the blood vessels.
These findings came out first from the pre-printing report of the medical journal Oncotarget, which published a print copy only in March 14. Resveratrol is a polyphenol found in grapes and red wines.
Renowned author Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote in his novel Love in the Time of Cholera (1988): “Age has no reality except in the physical world. The essence of a human being is resistant to the passage of time. Our inner lives are eternal, which is to say our spirits remain as youthful and vigorous as when we were in full bloom.”