Aging in humans

The "DNA damage" theory of aging has great persistence in our culture. It makes great sense to most of us that this should occur. After all, the genes hold great control over every bodily process. If something goes wrong it only makes good common sense to blame a fault in the gene controlling that individual process. In all organisms, DNA maintenance (and repair when needed) is a most important bodily task. However, damage to DNA does not occur with the frequency that some working in the longevity community have claimed. Within genes, DNA is organized and well protected. The genes are able to maintain close control over every bodily process. If something goes wrong, it is almost knee-jerk to blame faulty genes. Gerontologist Rory Blake is a leading proponent of the decline of nutritional absorption as a cause of aging[1] and has U.S. patent applications on the subject.[2]

According to Blake; "It is more likely aging is caused by a lack of raw material (specifically: a lack of amino acid nutrition) within the genetically controlled process. This flaw occurs one step further backward in the genetic control process, but roughly concurrent to it. " [3][4] Without all of the needed amino acids and each of these in the correct time order and sequence -genes cannot correctly build or more aptly ...complete protein synthesis. Blake's theory states aging is a two part process. The first part involves a lack of absorption while the second part involves the body replacing the unabsorbed amino acids by removing them from existing structure. The loss of structure becomes obvious, over time, in human aging. That nutrition is the initial problem leading to aging is not unexpected. Clinicians who work with the elderly have long suspected a nutritional component to aging. There are five of the twenty amino acids comprising protein in the body with generally known problems of absorption.[5][6][7] Biological aging begins with a lack of intestinal absorption of at least one, some, or all five of these amino acids. The lack of absorption of specific nutrition triggers the process of aging. Which or all of the amino acids becomes lacking changes the observed outcome in the function or structure of the body. This accounts for the variable rates of aging among individuals.

"Acquired GI damage or a loss of receptors for specific common amino acids may become the primary cause of aging. Biofilm formation blocking intestinal uptake receptors is one type of uptake flaw. The Bible warns us not to eat burnt offerings. Receptor damage from eating burnt/overcooked protein is another possibility for a lack of intestinal absorption. That Seven Day Adventists, who avoid meat totally, live 10 years longer than the general population supports this hypothesis. Differing rates of receptor damage accounts for individual variability of the onset of age.

In starvation mode the lymph system is able to borrow from structure to provide amino acids for other functions. This is the observed result in aging, as well. Absorbing only 19 of the 20 amino acids comprising protein in humans -appears to have the same effect as absorbing none. In starvation the body breaks down structure to keep going -the same as in aging. However, in aging the unusable nutrition is stored as fat. This accounts for the loss of muscle and collagen and increase in fat seen in early aging. As having all amino acids in protein nutrition is necessary -the inability to absorb specific protein from the gut forces the lymph system to "steal" needed nutrition from structure. This is the part two of the two part problem which we call aging. Many do not know of the functions of the lymph system. The lymph system gathers amino acids for building peptides and for other functions. The human lymph system is known to be far more aggressive than it is in other animals. Most animals will die within weeks without solid food. Humans can live up to 60 days without solid food. That starvation and now aging have been shown to be reversible makes the genetic damage theory of aging less credible.

Lack of nutrition is the trigger for aging. This has been proven in multiple trials of a bioavailable nutrition product that allows absorption of the missing specific amino acid nutrition. Decline of gut bacteria is a well known hallmark of aging. Damage to the DNA of an individual has nothing to do with decline of their gut organisms. The nutritional theory states the bacteria are the beneficiaries of the up to 5 unabsorbed amino acids. They begin bacterial processes with the extra amino acids. Because they must now compete with the human body and all the other bacteria for the remaining amino acids the begun processes often remain incomplete. In this way, extra nutrition causes gut bacteria to decline. Genetic damage theory simply does not address how gut bacteria, universally, decline with age along with their host."[8]

The first rule of biology is "Use it or lose it." Cells no longer being used will eventually be recycled. The Mayo Clinic school of medicine recently conducted a study on mice. The experiment, conducted by van Deursen et al., demonstrates that freeing up the amino acids by destroying unused cells -improves the function of the organism.[9][10] These results are supportive of the nutritional theory of aging. It has not been shown senescent cells are harmful or toxic to the body. Senescent cells were not shown to the product of aging. They are not shown to be preprogrammed for destruction by their DNA. No DNA damage was noted.[11][12] Senescent cells are cells that have shut-down because they are not being used. This is the first rule of biology.

The nutritional theory of aging states the decline of age is due to a lack of absorption of specific amino acids. Per this, the health improvement noted in these mice was due to an additional availability of amino acids. That a marked improvement was observed, further suggests an ongoing inability of the subjects to absorb all of the needed amino acids from the gut. The lacking amino acids had once again become internally available due to the recycling of the no longer needed cells. These nutrients were then recycled for other usage. Therefore, observed improvements in health were caused by no longer absorbed nutrients becoming available within the body. This becomes an additional proof of the nutritional theory of aging.

References

  1. ↑ "Most Viewed Writers in Gerontology - Quora".
  2. ↑ "Patent US20150038547 - Biological Basis of Adult Wellness".
  3. ↑ Rory Blake. "The Biological Basis of Adult Wellness and Aging". iBooks.
  4. ↑ "Digestive Health & Nutrient Absorption -- Jon Barron Newsletter".
  5. ↑ http://humanphysiology.tuars.com/program/section6/6ch7/s6ch7_8.htm
  6. ↑ http://gut.bmj.com/content/24/9/818.full.pdf
  7. ↑ "Deciphering the mechanisms of intestinal imino (and amino) acid transport: The redemption of SLC36A1".
  8. ↑ The Biological Basis of Adult Wellness and Aging by Rory Blake on iBooks
  9. ↑ Fredrick Kunkle (12 March 2015). "New class of drugs reduces aging in mice, Mayo Clinic study finds". Washington Post.
  10. ↑ "Proteins Are Degraded to Amino Acids - Biochemistry - NCBI Bookshelf".
  11. ↑ "Destroying worn-out cells makes mice live longer". Nature News & Comment.
  12. ↑ "Mayo Clinic Researchers on Aging Show Long-Term Benefits of "Senolytic" Drugs on Vascular Health in Mice".
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