As you get older, you may notice your strength and stamina start to decline. Keeping up your usual running pace or performing daily activities just feel more difficult. This is one of the signs of Age-Associated Cellular Decline, or AACD.
Deep inside your body, important natural processes are becoming less efficient, and this is happening cell by cell. One of these processes is your cells’ ability to renew their pool of mitochondria. Think of mitochondria as engines of vitality that transform the food you eat into the energy that fuels your muscles, brain and all your vital organs.
Over time however, mitochondria can become damaged by free radicals and toxins that build up in your cells. Normally, damaged mitochondria are cleared away through a process called mitophagy, and replaced with new ones.
But as you age, this renewal process slows down, and damaged mitochondria accumulate in your cells. Your pool of healthy, efficient mitochondria decreases. This can have a negative impact on your cell and muscle function.
Proper diet and ordinary supplements can help, but they may not be enough to restore your cells’ natural processes. That is why scientists are investigating specialized cellular nutrients that can activate the natural renewal of mitochondria and help restore mitochondrial health as you get older.
What is Age-Associated Cellular Decline?
Age Associated Cellular Decline (AACD) is the time-related deterioration in the way our cells function as we age, which often begins in our 40s and accelerates in our 60s.1,2 While aging is a complex process involving many physical changes, new advances in scientific discovery have brought a wealth of understanding about why we age, what cellular processes change with age, and the important role cellular health plays in how we age.
Research on aging continues to describe what mechanisms relate to the health of our cells and how these mechanisms change over time and contribute to cellular decline and the process of aging. What has become increasingly evident is the importance of mitochondrial health for proper cellular function and the significant impact this can have on energy, endurance, strength and stamina after middle age.3
As the “powerhouse” of the cell, mitochondria are primarily responsible for producing cellular energy (ATP).4 However, a variety of cellular mechanisms decline and mitochondria become less efficient, which gradually impairs cellular function as we age. Current evidence points to mitochondrial dysfunction as a factor commonly driving accelerated cellular aging and Age-Associated Cellular Decline.*5
Although the speed of aging may be different for each individual, partly because of lifestyle and genetic factors, the declines in these important cellular mechanisms are linked with declining health. This includes reduced immune response, loss of muscle strength and function, metabolic disorders, and chronic diseases.3
Given the pivotal role mitochondria play in our cellular health and all organs throughout the body, the ability to maintain mitochondrial health after middle age may help to support healthy cellular aging. Research and new interventions that target the health of mitochondria may show significant promise for restoring cellular processes that decline with age and improving Age Associated Cellular Decline.6
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22848760
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12398937
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23746838/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31387448
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24818134
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26942670
To learn more about Age-Associated Cellular Decline, please visit
https://www.myAACD.org
To learn more about how AACD can affect Cellular Energy Capacity:
To learn more about how AACD can affect Cellular Protection:
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