The concept of anti-aging could be understood as inhibition of aging, is a term used to refer to those interventions that aim to delay human biological aging and maintain a high level of quality of life during this process, as well as lengthen the life in general. This term is commonly used in aesthetic medicine, in the nutrition sciences, in the food supplement and cosmetics industry and also in relation to plastic surgery interventions.
We could differentiate the term anti-aging from that of rejuvenation, since the former aims to slow down the aging process, while the latter aims to reverse the signals already produced by it.
If we did not age biologically the way we do, the human being could reach an average age of 800 years, according to the opinion of the scientists D. Pearson and S.Shaw. Our longevity would be diminished only because of an accident or violent death or illness. But although life expectancy in Western countries has increased considerably in recent years, it has long been considered that the maximum achievable age is 120 / 122 years. And it is not foreseeable that this value can be overcome in the future as a result of anti-aging measures, since we are subject to genetic determination.
Biogerontology scholars are convinced that the body aging process is determined by multiple factors, of which only some are "manipulable".
Genetic factors:
Some scientific studies carried out on twin brothers have shown that life expectancy is determined in a 30% by genetic factors, while others raise it up to 70%. Those who came from families in which several ancestors had reached an advanced age statistically achieved a longer life expectancy. That is to say, that the duration of life is a hereditary condition and in fact it has been possible to identify a series of genes related to longevity.
Lifestyle and environmental conditions:
It has been possible to demonstrate that these factors accelerate or delay in aging and, therefore, life expectancy. A clear accelerating effect is caused by smoking, high alcohol consumption, shortage of sleep, overweight, stress, as well as noise pollution (like traffic noise) or environmental pollution.
Biochemical aging / Theories of wear:
Biochemical aging is produced by the influence of free radicals. These originate permanently as waste products of our metabolism and are potentially harmful. In the opinion of some researchers can become harmless by the intake of certain supplements such as vitamins, lipoic acids or selenium.
Hormonal aging:
An essential cause of aging is the fact that in the course of life, the production of different hormones is constantly decreasing. This deficit is also responsible for dementia, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and even cancer.