Can our bodies deal with all the Junk as we age?

Posted by admin in Aging on 02 16th, 2010 | one response

One facet of the degenerations of aging is, in effect, a garbage
catastrophe. The garbage collection mechanisms within your cells are
gradually overwhelmed by junk they cannot deal with:

“Lysosomes are roving garbage disposal and recycling units that exist in
droves within your cells. One of their jobs is to break down damaged
cellular machinery before it causes issues, and so that the component
molecules can be reused. Another task is the disposal of unwanted or
harmful biochemicals. [We] should therefore be concerned if they fail or
slow down with aging. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens.”

Lipofuscin is the name given to a gunk formed of many varied chemical
byproducts of metabolism. It accumulates in your cells with age - and
causes a great many problems in doing so. A cell follows the standard
garbage collection plan and throws all of its lipofuscin into its lysosomes
- but the expected recycling process never happens, and that lipofuscin
gradually accumulates. Lysosomes that become packed full of this lipofuscin
cannot perform their jobs effectively. As a result, other unwanted
biochemicals and dysfunctional biochemical machinery in the cell are left
unrecycled. This state of affairs eventually spirals out of control,
leading to malfunctioning bodily systems and contributing to a range of
age-related conditions, including atherosclerosis and macular degeneration.