That Thing Called Age

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I have often marveled at the aging process. It is inevitable and continuous but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I don't want to die! I am curious about the future, and I want to be able to help my family. At the beginning of the year, I got very upset thinking about it. I have since been able to calm down and be more objective, but it is still rather upsetting for me to think about it. My consciousness is still youthful and very much alive, but my body is just the opposite. Aging is caused by many factors. My maternal great grandmother lives to be 94. My grandmother until she was 88. My mother and father until their mid 70s. I also have a 50/50 chance of getting the cancer that killed them. But as I delve deeper, I find that by eliminating toxins and a bad diet a human body could theoretically live to be 120 to 150 years old. The longest documented life span was 122 years for Jeanne Calment who was a French woman who died in 1977. There are also a few things to consider: * DNA accumulates damage over time. Mechanisms become less efficient with age. * Cell division happens and the protective cap at the end of the chromosomes (telomeres) shorten each time. When they grow too short they quit dividing. * In this time when cells enter a non-dividing state, they secrete inflammatory molecules that harm healthy cells. * Then comes stem cells exhaustion and the lack of the ability to replace damaged cells. * And then a system-wide decline. In our 30s organ function slowly begins its decline. By 85, many people experience a great loss of muscle mass, and immune function weakens. Basically, our bodies murder us over time. I took a quiz online several years ago having to do with how long an individual will live depending on how they treat their bodies. It determined that I could live to about 86.5 years. I guess we will see if it was right. What are your thoughts on the aging process, your personal feelings about death, and the science of body function? The picture is from vecteezy.com