BIOLOGY OF AGING
THEORIES OF AGING
An introduction to aging science brought to you by the
American Federation for Aging Research
WHAT IS A THEORY
OF AGING?
Natural substances within our cells called antioxidants sop up and neutralize dangerous
free radicals. But those that escape this cleanup process can damage DNA, proteins, and
mitochondria.
lived in or how active they were. size, metabolic rate, and longevity, Paul Moorhead, discovered that
More recent work with C. elegans, there are many exceptions to this many human cells have a limited
a roundworm, showed that rule. For example, small short- capacity to reproduce themselves
changing just one gene related lived mammals expend more in culture by dividing. They found
to metabolism could significantly energy per cell over their lives than that these and many other normal
extend the worms lifespan. larger long-lived animals. Also, human cells derived from fetal,
birds typically have a metabolic embryonic, or newborn tissue
On the other hand, some rate 1.5 to 2.0 times as high as can undergo between 40 and 60
experimental evidence has shown similar-sized mammals, yet they cell divisions, but then can divide
no clear relationship between live on average about three times no more. This number is often
temperature and longevity. as long. These broad patterns are referred to as the Hayflick Limit.
Experiments in fruit flies have clearly inconsistent with the rate of
shown that temperature either has living theory. Most scientists today believe
no effect, or the opposite effect. that what determines the Hayflick
For example, a 1997 experiment Modern scientists have now Limit for dividing human cells is
showed that briefly exposing fruit rejected the rate of living theory as the length of a cells telomeres.
flies to elevated temperature could being a valid overall explanation Telomeres can be pictured as
actually slow aging for several for why we and most other species protective caps on the ends
weeks. Scientists now believe age. However, oxidative damage of chromosomes. Each time a
that although metabolic rate can is still considered one of several cell divides, it must first double
affect aging, that doesnt mean mechanisms contributing to the its chromosomes, so that each
that it always does so. Caloric aging process, and numerous daughter cell receives a full
restriction, the only intervention aging researchers are pursuing complement of genetic material.
known to extend life in mammals, research in this area. But each time a chromosome
does so without reducing the reproduces itself, it loses a small
animals metabolic rate. In addi- THE REPLICATIVE bit of its telomeres. Oxidative
tion, experimentally boosting an SENESCENCE HYPOTHESIS damage can also shorten telo-
animals metabolic rate does not OF AGING meres. When a cells telomeres
always reduce longevity. And even have reached a critically short
though there is a rough correlation Fifty years ago, Dr. Leonard length, after 40 to 60 population
among species between body Hayflick and his colleague, Dr. doublings in young human cells,
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