Who are centenarians and how to become one of them: biologist Alexey Moskalev explains
Miscellaneous / / August 28, 2023
If every cell of the body is a cook, then the rules of a healthy lifestyle help it to correctly read the recipes recorded in DNA.
Life expectancy has increased greatly in recent centuries. But we want to live even longer, and at the same time remain strong and energetic. Biologist Alexei Moskalev told blogger Boris Vedensky whether evolution needs long-lived people and what aging processes look like from an epigenetic point of view. Video recording of their conversation posted on the YouTube channel "THE BASIS”, and Lifehacker made an outline of it.
Alexey Moskalev
Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
What is epigenetics and why is it important
The prefix "epi" in Greek means "above". You can say this: the remaining sections of genetics study what hereditary information is transmitted to descendants from ancestors. Epigenetics, on the other hand, adds knowledge about exactly how this information is turned on and works, how certain functions of genes are implemented, why some of them remain active, while others do not.
We know that every living organism receives genetic information from its parents. Moreover, all its cells have the same DNA, with the same recorded code.
Each of us has approximately 19,000 protein-coding genes in our chromosome DNA. But not all cells work in the body genes at once, but only a part - several thousand in each. The rest are inactive. Which genes are turned on and which are turned off depends on the purpose of the cell, on its function in the body.
Brain neurons need some proteins, liver cells need completely different ones. This means that they include different parts of the code. It is epigenetics that studies which genes are activated in the cells of each organ or system.
In all the cells of our body - that's more than 30 trillion - the same DNA. But the set of working genes for each cell type is different. I use these analogies: genes on chromosomes are a cookbook. Depending on preferences, different cells take different recipes from this book. Or that it is a piano, and the keys are genes, but the music is extracted by the pianist. You can play completely different melodies in different styles. And that's epigenetics.
Alexey Moskalev
It is epigenetic knowledge that helps to find out why processes occur in our body. aging and how they are launched.
What does aging look like from an epigenetic point of view?
Let's figure out how this process occurs in most representatives of the species and in centenarians.
A person must have time to transfer genetic information to descendants
We can say that in our very complex bodies there are two main types of cells: sex and somatic.
In a very simplified form evolution view can be represented as follows. Sex cells are necessary to pass information to the next generation. Somatic - so that the body is able to survive until the moment of transfer of genetic information and successfully complete this task.
From an evolutionary point of view, we eat, drink, build houses, meet other people in order to fulfill the main goal - to ensure that our genetic line is not interrupted and continues into the future. That is, the intestines, kidneys, muscle fibers, blood vessels, liver - organs that are necessary for survival, and therefore for the successful transmission genetic information.
Aging processes are triggered by epigenetic errors
The line of germ cells is practically immortal: they are reproduced again and again in descendants in an almost unchanged form. But with the somatic, which ensure the survival and active development of the organism, everything is much more complicated. Throughout life, our cells are constantly dividing. It happens that errors occur in this process.
With a probability of one nucleotide in a million, misprints occur. Because with each division of somatic cells, you need to rewrite a book consisting of more than three billion letters. Typos during rewriting are mutations.
Alexey Moskalev
One in a million is a very small chance mistakes. But epigenetic ones are added to the genetic typos. If you think of DNA as a cookbook with bookmarked pages of your favorite recipes, then just copying all the letters correctly isn't enough. It is necessary even after rewriting to insert into place all the bookmarks. That is, correctly reproduce epigenetic information. And here misses happen much more often.
It is epigenetic errors that accumulate with age. And already a five-year-old child has more of them than a one-year-old. And over time, the number of inaccuracies in the distribution of bookmarks only grows. This means that the cell, and then the organ, begin to work with errors. This is how the aging process starts.
And now about centenarians. They have far fewer epigenetic errors. That is, typos in the text of the book also occur, but bookmarks are distributed much more accurately. Therefore, there are fewer failures in the work of cell cooks. This means that the aging process is slower.
Can epigenetic errors be corrected?
It turns out you can. The well-known rules of a healthy lifestyle help to return at least some of the epigenetic bookmarks to the right pages. Yes, the same ones that we have heard about many times.
But even healthy people should not immediately implement every healthy lifestyle advice that seems right to them. If something changes, then gradually. All radical innovations in nutrition or lifestyle can only be administered after consultation with your doctor.
Perhaps the diet is the first thing the doctor will recommend changing. For starters, lengthen the intervals between meals to increase metabolic flexibility. So the body will get used to getting energy not only from constantly incoming carbohydrates, but also from fat reserves.
Start by expanding the intervals between meals. And then, if you feel that there is an improvement, there is vigor, there is strength in order to move on, you can try intermittent fasting.
Alexey Moskalev
But once again it is worth repeating: first, be sure to consult a doctor. There are many details that non-specialists simply do not know about. For example, drastically changing the diet, you can get problems with outflow of bile.
Another tip is to increase physical activity. Also without extreme changes - just move a little more and specifically allocate time for walking, fitness, dancing. And do not abuse alcohol.
How will life expectancy change in the future?
Man is one of the few species that has jumped out of the pressure of adverse external circumstances. Those kinds, whose representatives often die - for example, they are eaten by predators - should transfer their genes as soon as possible. Succeed while alive. And then, when all the information is transferred to the heirs, evolution no longer cares about them. Therefore, many animals die quickly after the end of the reproductive period.
The fewer enemies a species has, the longer its representatives live, the more genetic information they can transmit. So this species will develop. Therefore, evolution needs long-livers.
People managed to create a safe environment for themselves - they learned not to depend on natural conditions, on the number of predators, and even on many diseases. Our lifespan continues to increase. Therefore, the beginning is pushed back reproductive period: It is no longer necessary to give birth to children as early as possible.
Once upon a time, our ancestors became parents at the age of 15-17. Today there are many people who become moms and dads in their 30s. These preferences, in turn, also affect life expectancy.
This will lead to the fact that after 20–30 generations, aging will be delayed and there will be an even greater extension of life. This process has been started.
Alexey Moskalev
Read also👶🧑👨🦳
- 8 Myths About Aging You Should Stop Believing
- What is biological age and how to determine it
- Is the evolution going on? How people have changed since Darwin
- “Each of us has about a hundred broken genes”: an interview with bioinformatician Mikhail Gelfand
- When does old age occur in terms of biology