Cleansing the body of aged cells prevents some age-related diseases and prolongs life.

The cells that make up our body, alas, are not eternal - having developed their resource, they die. But they are being replaced by new ones - in almost every organ there is a cell population, which constantly multiplies and thereby replenishes the ranks of "recruits" to replace the dead.

Apoptosis, a cellular suicide program, rid the body of sick and unwanted cells. Left - normal leukocyte, right - leukocyte in the process of apoptosis. (Photo by Dr. Gopal Murti / Visuals Unlimited / Corbis.)

The two mice in the photo are of the same age, however, the one on the right even outwardly looks better than the one on the left, and all because the right one carried out cell cleaning, ridding her body of garbage cells. (Photo by Jan van Deursen and Darren Baker / Mayo Clinic College of Med

However, over time, dividing cells also age: defects accumulate in their DNA, due to which the division process can get out of control, that is, the cell can easily turn into a cancerous one. To prevent this from happening, their ability to divide is basically turned off. However, they do not die, but continue to live in the body. They have their own benefits: for example, such aged cells continue to synthesize bioactive substances that promote wound healing. But, unfortunately, they synthesize not only useful, but also harmful molecules that cause trouble to nearby tissues and are even capable of provoking cancer. That is, the aged cells themselves are not able to form a tumor, but they can push others to do so.

It is clear that with age, the number of such cells that are "neither alive nor dead" in the body only increases. And in many ways it was from them, as the experiments of Darren Baker showed ( Darren J. Baker) and his colleagues at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, life expectancy depends. The researchers used genetically modified mice, in which a program of cellular suicide - apoptosis - could be triggered from the outside in aged cells. A special substance interacted precisely with such semi-working cells and turned the molecular "switch" that triggered cellular self-destruction. When the mice were middle-aged, they were given a drug that included apoptosis twice a week. As the authors of the work write in their article in Nature, in different tissues in this way it was possible to remove from 50% to 70% of unnecessary cells.

After six months, the treated mice remained healthier than their counterparts, who had no cell cleansing. So, in "cleaned" mice, the heart coped better with stress and the renal blood filtration system worked better. Differences were also observed in behavior: animals with which they carried out cell cleansing were more active. But the main thing here is not even the healing effect in itself, but the fact that the procedure increased the lifespan of mice by as much as 20%. To some extent, this prolongation of life happened due to a peculiar anti-cancer effect from the destruction of old cells: this did not protect completely from malignant tumors, that is, they continued to appear, but they grew much more slowly.

In other words, in order to live long and more or less happily, you need to get rid of the ballast of aged cells. Just in case, we will repeat once again that in the body (not only in the mouse, but also in the human) there are cells that are completely normal and there are cells that cannot die, and cannot work as before, and even harm others. And now if you get rid of the second, then the first will only be better, which means that it will be better for the whole body as a whole. However, cleansing of cellular debris will not relieve all age-related problems: the authors of the work note that memory, muscle strength, coordination and the ability to maintain body balance in both mice deteriorated with age. Here, of course, you can see that if the researchers claimed that their procedure rid the mice of everything and rejuvenated them by 100%, then it would be 100% scientific quackery.

Biologists and doctors are tirelessly looking for a way to extend our lives, and there are a lot of different approaches here, but all of them, even in theory, differ in different effectiveness, not to mention the fact that not all of them can be applied to humans. However, just the above-described cell cleaning, according to some experts, has good chances to enter clinical practice; however, first we need to find a way that would allow purposefully get rid of unnecessary cells without any additional genetic modifications.

renews the immune system, getting rid of unnecessary and damaged cells.

the topic is slippery, so I'll immediately point out the sources: Science and Telegraph.co.uk, both with Google Page Rank 8/10. for those who are not in the habit of going further than the magazines "Natalie" and "Cooking yummy", I will inform you that this is an indicator of the website's weight on the Internet. Yandex.ru and Livejournal.com also have 8/10.
articles were translated by "Science and Life" and naked-science.ru.
* I added my own observations.

The cells that make up our body, alas, are not eternal - having developed their resource, they die. But they are being replaced by new ones - in almost every organ there is a cell population, which constantly multiplies and thereby replenishes the ranks of "recruits" to replace the dead.

However, over time, dividing cells age: defects accumulate in their DNA, which can cause the division process to get out of control, that is, the cell can easily turn into a cancerous one. To prevent this from happening, their ability to divide is basically turned off. However, they do not die, but continue to live in the body. They have their own benefits: for example, such aged cells continue to synthesize bioactive substances that promote wound healing.

But, unfortunately, they synthesize not only useful, but also harmful molecules that cause trouble to nearby tissues and are even capable of provoking cancer. That is, the aged cells themselves are not able to form a tumor, but they can push others to do so.

It is clear that with age, the number of such cells that are "neither alive nor dead" in the body only increases... And in many ways, life expectancy depends on them, as the experiments of Darren J. Baker and his colleagues from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine have shown. The researchers used genetically modified mice, in which a program of cellular suicide - apoptosis - could be triggered from the outside in aged cells.

A special substance interacted precisely with such semi-working cells and turned the molecular "switch" that triggered cellular self-destruction. When the mice were middle-aged, they were given a drug that included apoptosis twice a week. As the authors of the work write in their article in Nature, in different tissues in this way it was possible to remove from 50% to 70% of unnecessary cells.

After six months, the treated mice remained healthier than their counterparts, who had no cell cleansing. So, at Of "cleaned" mice, the heart coped better with stress and the renal system worked better filtration of blood. Differences were also observed in behavior: animals with which they carried out cell cleansing were more active. But the main thing here is not even the healing effect in itself, but the fact that the procedure increased the lifespan of mice by as much as 20%.

To some extent, this prolongation of life happened due to a peculiar anti-cancer effect from the destruction of old cells: this did not protect completely from malignant tumors, that is, they continued to appear, but they grew much more slowly.

In other words, to live long and more or less happily, you need to get rid of the ballast of aged cells ... Just in case, we will repeat once again that in the body (not only in the mouse, but also in the human) there are cells that are completely normal and there are cells that cannot die, and cannot work as before, and even harm others. And now if you get rid of the second, then the first will only be better, which means that it will be better for the whole body as a whole.

but cleaning of cellular debris will not get rid of all age-related problems: The authors of the work note that memory, muscle strength, coordination and the ability to maintain body balance in both mice deteriorated with age in the same way. Here, of course, you can see that if the researchers claimed that their procedure rid the mice of everything and rejuvenated them by 100%, then it would be 100% scientific quackery.

* Michael Merzenich, professor of neuroscience at the University of California at San Francisco, USA, spent almost 35 years of his career working on the mysteries of brain electrophysiology. At the time when he entered the service of science, it was believed that our gray matter was intertwined with rigid ligaments and that, as a person matures, his mind begins to fade away irreversibly. But since the mid-1980s, Merzenich began to prove the opposite: the brain is plastic, malleable, can be reprogrammed and capable of constant development, which is achieved by carefully planned exercises ...
* Two steps to keep your brain young before graying

Biologists and doctors are tirelessly looking for a way to extend our lives, and there are a lot of different approaches here, but all of them, even in theory, differ in different effectiveness, not to mention the fact that not all of them can be applied to humans. However, just the above-described cell cleaning, according to some experts, has good chances to enter clinical practice; however, first we need to find a way that would allow purposefully get rid of unnecessary cells without any additional genetic modifications. (c) Science,

After Darwin, they began to believe that we are aging for technical reasons: a complex organism gradually wears out and breaks down. The first to rebel against this point of view was the famous German biologist August Weismann - at the end of the 19th century, he delivered a sensational lecture that aging and death from aging arose in the process of evolution, in order, firstly, to destroy weakened individuals and, secondly, to accelerate the change of generations and, accordingly, evolution ...* Old age is a disease. Knows how to treat Vladimir Skulachev, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dean of the Faculty of Bioengineering, Moscow State University

* gradual aging is a complex mechanism created so that a person gradually thinks about the short-term nature of his life, does more and more correct things, gradually transforming from a human being into a Human with a capital letter. while pushing away old age to the background, barely perceptible by the body. I read this powerful idea 20 years ago. and here is how more authoritative people came to her:* What makes us healthy and happy - 75 years of observing the life and health of 724 men, their children and grandchildren from adolescence to death. Incredible research and startling conclusion. Project leader Robert Woldinger spoke at TED. Transcript of the speech and my thoughts

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American scientists have found that during fasting, the body gets rid of unnecessary and damaged cells. When a person starts to eat again, his stem cells produce new white blood cells, in fact, renewing the immune system.

Avoiding food for three days can completely renew the immune system, even in the elderly. According to experts, this is a "significant discovery." Many nutritionists criticize fasting as causing serious harm to the body, but new research has shown that after fasting, stem cells begin to produce large numbers of white blood cells (leukocytes), which actively fight various infections.

Scientists at the University of Southern California believe that their discovery could be of great benefit, especially for people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients after chemotherapy. Elderly people can also take advantage of the fasting technique, it will significantly increase their immunity and help in the fight against common diseases.

According to experts, the hunger strike actually "presses the recovery button" by forcing the stem cells to produce new white blood cells. " Fasting gives the command "Full speed ahead!" stem cells for reproduction and restoration of the entire system. In this case, the body also gets rid of old or damaged cells... In fact, sick and elderly people will receive a completely new immune system through the fasting cycle,"- Walter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and Biological Sciences

During the research, subjects were asked to regularly arrange fasting cycles - from two to four days - for six months. The researchers found that fasting for several days also reduced the PKA enzyme associated with aging, as well as the hormone responsible for the growth of cancerous tumors.

"When a person is starving, his body tries to save energy, and for this a large number of unused immune cells are removed from it, primarily those that are damaged... At the beginning, we noticed that in humans, as in animals, with prolonged fasting, the number of leukocytes in the blood decreases. When people start to eat again, new white blood cells appear. Where do they come from? "- Walter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and Biological Sciences

If this finding is confirmed in clinical trials by other groups of researchers, fasting may become one of the most common treatments prescribed for people with weakened immune systems, especially the elderly and those with cancer.

Scientists, however, warn that this technique should only be used under the supervision of experienced nutritionists and doctors, so as not to harm the body. In addition, medical fasting should last no more than three days. (c) "- Walter Longo, professor of gerontology and biological sciences.

I * wrote this 2 years ago:

- foreign inclusions and left neoplasms are consumed.
because in the struggle for food and, more importantly, water - everything alien is disassembled and utilized
- go to the expense of indigestion of the stomach. what accumulates in people's bodies for a long time
and actively comes out in the form of mucus for colds. this is the main cause of ARI - to shed mucus.
after all, in any activity there are always by-products.
and the farther our food system is from proper nutrition, the more side effects
and not completely digested food is deposited in the body as a dead weight.

the whole body is overloaded and starts to work more efficiently:
- food consumption is reduced by 20% during the first week of fasting,
- eyesight becomes sharper, skin is smoother and firmer,
- breathing and heart rate slow down, endurance increases.
- improves the conduction of nerve impulses and receptivity to external signals.
- the body sheds a couple of kilograms in a couple of days. but this was only at the beginning of the fasting.

clearer visibility of life priorities and goals:
when the body is not getting nourishment at the right time, plus or minus,
then the cells are rebuilt to feed from internal reserves. by this
the countdown starts and the body prepares for death,
in such a situation, the secondary is discarded and removed
scraps of "previously removed programs and unnecessary registry entries".

Our skin

Human skin, like other organs, is also active. In one minute, up to 30-40 thousand cells are renewed on the skin surface. It seems to us that this is a simple shell of the body - but it changes every minute. Therefore, it is said that the skin is a reflection of the state of health, by analogy with the fact that the eyes are the mirror of the soul.

After dying off, a certain number of cells are removed from the surface of the skin naturally - from rubbing against clothes, when performing hygiene procedures - taking a shower, bathing. But most of the cells remaining on the skin clog the pores, forming a scaly dry layer.

Benefits of dry brushing exfoliation

This massage is the easiest way to exfoliate and has a number of advantages:

• Effectively cleanses the skin. This exfoliation method cleans the surface of the skin from bacteria, a layer of dead cells, and unclogs the pores. The skin becomes clean and shiny. This method helps prevent acne, a disease caused by dead cells and bacteria that clog pores.

• Strengthens blood circulation. Exfoliation with a brush expands the capillaries, resulting in increased blood flow and, consequently, oxygen and nutrients to the lower layers of the skin. In addition to fighting cellulite, exfoliation helps relieve stress and tension.

• Increases the effectiveness of cosmetics. A layer of dead cells on the surface of the skin prevents the active ingredients of cosmetics from penetrating into its lower layers. After exfoliation, the skin is cleansed and the effectiveness of the effects of cosmetics increases many times.

How to choose the right body brush

Exfoliating the skin requires an inexpensive instrument - a brush. It must have certain characteristics:

• The brush should be made only of natural bristles, as it will have to be used every day.

• The handle should be long. This will allow the brush to reach rather hard-to-reach places - between the shoulders, to the middle of the back.

• A brush with a detachable handle will be very convenient for cleaning the abdomen and hand area.

How to use the exfoliation brush correctly

• Brushing is best done just before bathing or showering.

• You should start with your toes, rubbing your feet with massage movements.

• Gradually rising up, the area of ​​the feet and calves is cleared. Next, you should rise to the knees and thighs, cleaning them.

• Then the skin of the buttocks and thighs is cleansed in a circular motion.

• After attaching a long handle to the brush, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the skin of the back.

• Next, you need to thoroughly cleanse the skin of the abdomen and chest. Be careful with the décolleté - there is very sensitive skin.

• Starting with the fingers, the brush moves up in long strokes towards the shoulders. This will cleanse your hands and forearms.

• The neck and face should not be brushed with such a brush. These areas require milder exfoliation methods due to their high sensitivity.

• After completing the exfoliation procedure, you should rinse off the remaining skin cells with a brush by taking a shower or a bath.

• Then you should apply a moisturizer or lotion to cleansed skin. Cosmetics will be absorbed into cleansed skin much more efficiently.

It is necessary to adhere to a few simple rules during the exfoliation procedure:

• The movements of the brush should be directed from the bottom up: rising from the feet to the chest and shoulders.

• The most sensitive areas of the skin should be cleaned with gentle, gentle brush strokes.

• Do not use the brush to cleanse especially sensitive areas - the neck, face, around the nipples and on the inner thighs.

• You should also avoid brushing where the upper skin is damaged, that is, be careful about cuts, scars, rashes, or areas of irritation.

Exfoliating your skin with a brush is an easy, inexpensive way to cleanse your skin and has many benefits. Skin will be more beautiful, smoother and softer with just a few minutes a day exfoliating with a brush.

Sugar scrubs differ from salt scrubs in that they not only remove dead cells from the skin, but also help smooth out its relief, give a glossy smoothness, radiance and a healthy look. The sweetest recipes for sugar peels and features of their use, read our material.

Grade

Sugar peeling is suitable for both face and body cleansing. Such procedures can be performed both in courses and in separate sessions.

Sugar peeling effect:

Removal of dead skin cells;

Cleansing from blackheads and all sorts of rashes;

Cleansing from toxins and toxins;

Moisturizing the skin and restoring its moisture balance;

Normalization of blood and lymph circulation;

Increased tissue turgor and elasticity;

Returns the skin to a healthy and radiant look.

Sugar scrub can be made quickly and easily at home. For this, both white beet sugar and brown cane sugar are suitable. It is important that its grains are small so that you do not injure your skin. Therefore, grind the sugar in a coffee grinder if necessary. The prepared scrub should be used immediately, otherwise the sugar may dissolve in other components and you will not get the desired effect.

Here are some homemade sugar scrub recipes

Sugar scrub for dry to normal skin

To prepare this scrub, stir 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar with 1-1.5 tablespoons of olive (castor, apricot or pumpkin) oil in a cup. After washing with the resulting mixture, gently massage your face, then rinse and apply your daily moisturizer.

Sugar peeling for dry skin

Mix 1 teaspoon of sugar with 2 tablespoons of butter that has melted almost to a liquid state, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of heavy milk cream or sour cream and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise or egg yolk.

READ ALSO - Gentle body scrubs

Sugar scrub for oily to combination skin

Mix 1 teaspoon of sugar with 2 teaspoons of low-fat sour cream, 1-2 tbsp. spoons of natural yogurt, 2-3 tbsp. spoons of kefir (yogurt) or with egg white.

Nourishing sugar and honey scrub mask for mature skin

Thoroughly grind 1 teaspoon of honey with 2 tablespoons of lukewarm oatmeal cooked in milk. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and immediately apply the resulting mass on your face. Massage gently with your fingertips for 2-3 minutes, then leave on your face for 10 minutes. Then rinse with warm water and apply cream.

Sugar body scrub

To make a sugar body scrub, mix enough sugar with olive oil. It is also recommended to add essential oils to the mixture. For example, grapefruit and orange essential oils are effective against cellulite, lemon balm oil is effective against stretch marks. It is recommended to apply the scrub using hard massage gloves, intensive rubbing movements.

Cosmetic companies offer us a wide range of sugar body scrubs. You can purchase these products from brands such as Fresh Juice, Freeman, Organic Shop, Garnier and others.

Salon procedures

Many beauty salons offer a procedure - glycolic peeling. This is a type of chemical surface peeling using glycolic acid, which belongs to fruit acids and is extracted from plant materials. Its maximum concentration is found in sugar cane, so we can conditionally classify glycolic peeling as sugar peeling.

Such a procedure helps to exfoliate horn cells, smooth out the relief of the skin, and also normalizes pigmentation and keratinization. Glycolic peeling has an anti-inflammatory and stimulating effect on the skin and gives an excellent anti-aging effect.

The cost of the procedure is from 500 UAH, depending on the beauty salon.

The site provides background information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. A specialist consultation is required!

Cell damage factors

All cells have the so-called. ideal microclimate - conditions under which the probability of their death is minimal, and the time of their existence is maximal. This microclimate determines the temperature, pressure, frequency of electromagnetic and ionizing waves, etc. All cells of the body are located in the liquid extracellular matrix. The chemical composition of the extracellular matrix, which contains a particular cell or several cells, microecology, must also be ideal. Changes in the microclimate and microecology lead to the vulnerability of cells. The larger this change, the more cells are damaged. With an excessive change in microecology, all cells die, as, for example, with burns, frostbite, exposure to chemical agents.

Any effect on the body that violates the normal microclimate and microecology of cells is called a damaging factor. The number of dead cells is directly proportional to the strength and duration of exposure to the damaging factor.

Dead cell accumulation factors

Cells are constantly being created and killed, so any tissue has a certain normal number of dead cells. The body seeks to utilize their excess. The fewer dead cells, the better the condition of the tissue. Maintaining the required number of normal cells by creating new ones is far from always feasible; in addition, this only makes it possible to support the work of the tissue, but does not enhance the immune defense, which requires the utilization of excess dead cells. Therefore, the important functions of the body are the protection of normal cells from death and the fastest possible utilization of damaged ones.

Many organs and systems are involved in the removal of dead cells in one way or another: bone marrow, spinal cord, lymphatic system, cardiovascular system, liver, kidneys. Disruption of the work of at least one of the listed organs or systems leads to an imbalance between cell death and the removal of dead cells. The result is the accumulation of dead cells. The average rate of damage and the average rate of cell removal are important. Therefore, short-term and one-time damage does not cause as much harm as regularly acting damage factors.

Why does the body not increase the rate of removal of dead cells? The answer is simple: the body is constantly trying to utilize dead cells, but it does not always have enough resources for this. Lack of resources is a common problem in the body. During its growth, the need to remove cells is small, and therefore the body accumulates resources, and soon after the end of the growth period begins to slowly waste them. During the growth period, the periodic influence of moderately unfavorable conditions strengthens the body. In old age, the body no longer has the resources for protection, and even periodically exposed adverse conditions cause damage to health if these resources are not replenished. Continuously acting even moderate damaging factors lead to the depletion of the resources of both young and old organisms and cause the accumulation of dead cells, rapid aging, and an increase in the likelihood of developing diseases. Therefore, all regularly affecting damaging factors should be eliminated, and periodically influencing factors should be minimized.

Body resources

The body's resources are the ability to utilize the maximum fraction of dead cells, create an ideal microclimate and microecology in all organs and tissues during exposure to unfavorable conditions: cold, hyperthermia, bruises, changes in pH balance, intoxication with poisons, carcinogens, etc.

The body's resources are a combination of defense systems, or, in other words, systems for reducing the rate of damage to normal cells and accelerating the elimination of dead cells.

Since all actions in the body are carried out by cells, the primary resources are cellular resources. Using its resource, the cell replenishes its supply from the extracellular matrix. The resources of the organism as a whole ultimately depend on the intensity of replacement of expended resources by cells.

The extracellular matrix, from which cells restore their resource, replenishes its composition through the blood. Then the blood is supplied with resources in the kidneys, liver, lungs. The bone marrow produces specialized blood cells. The process of supplying cells with resources is highly dynamic, and the apparent constancy, for example, of blood characteristics, is supported by many systems that are acutely sensitive to any changes.

All resources of the body can be divided into accumulated and re-created.

Accumulated resources:

• resting cells with an unspent resource;


• the capacity and content of the extracellular matrix, from which cells replenish their resources - 1/5 of the body weight, 12-15 liters for a person over 18;


• capacity and blood content - 5-6 liters;
• capacity and content of lymph - 2 liters;


• specialized resource accumulators.

The most efficient and always ready-to-use spare resource is passive cells. The body never involves all cells in the functioning at the same time. When some cells are working, others replenish the supply of resources, and others rest. At a certain point in time, functioning and passive cells change. The reserve is used only in cases of extreme necessity, it is enough for a short time (no more than a minute), but this is often enough to accomplish a difficult task (lift a large mass, overcome a hundred meters at maximum speed, secrete a large amount of substance, etc.).

The most important and voluminous accumulated resource is the extracellular matrix. Its volume is 12-15 liters. Its content can be almost completely used, in contrast to blood content, the change in the rate of which cannot exceed 16%. In addition, by exchanging with blood, the extracellular matrix can transfer a resource from one part of the body to another. The transport of resources is rather slow, but it makes it possible to carry out long-term work of moderate intensity for hours. The main purpose of sleep and rest is to replenish the extracellular matrix with resources.

The content of blood, which is approximately half that of the extracellular matrix, is also an accumulated resource, but only a tenth of it can be used, therefore, the buffering properties of blood during prolonged physical work are 20 times lower than that of the extracellular matrix. Hence it follows that the dynamic volume of blood resources is only 500 ml, and even then only when its supply of resources is maximum. Blood mainly serves as a resource transport and temporary buffer within a matter of minutes.

Having spent the available 10% of blood resources, the body starts the mechanisms of economical consumption of resources, thereby preventing the destruction of blood cells. It is for this reason that blood tests give normal values, while the pathological process in the tissues is obvious.

The content of lymph, the volume of which is 2 liters, resembles the content of blood serum, but significantly differs in the increased content of protein released during the utilization of dead cells, and protein obtained from the intestines. Therefore, lymph serves as a stored protein resource and plays an important role in the lack of protein in food. In addition, the entire lymphatic system serves as one of the most important producers of cells in the immune system, which detects dead cells and removes them.

For a stable supply of the body with resources, it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle, and in the event of the manifestation of certain diseases, immediately