Researchers have named five factors that influence early aging. These are stress, poor sleep, bad habits, poor physical condition and nutrition. Living in a metropolis, it is almost impossible to give up all this. "Vechernyaya Moskva" spoke with gerontologists, who told whether it is possible to somehow compensate or minimize the impact of these factors.
Stress
“Stress is not something that acts from the outside, but how a person reacts to what is happening,” explains the hematologist and immunologist, gerontologist, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, doctor of medical sciences, professor, head of the department of gerontology and geriatrics at the Russian National Research Medical University Vladimir Shabalin. - It is necessary to develop your inner psychological defense, to work on yourself, realizing that even in such an issue as exposure to stressful conditions, the main thing is self-discipline.
In extreme cases, according to the expert, one can try to resort to artificial methods of arresting negative conditions, such as, for example, antidepressants. But you need to understand that each such remedy has its own side effects, so it is necessary, together with a specialist, to weigh and analyze all the pros and cons of the approach. And it is not only the focus that responds to stress that is depressed, but the brain as a whole. So, if a person himself is not able to work out his own way of dealing with such conditions, it is better to consult a psychologist.
Bad dream
When we sleep, the hormone melatonin is produced, which, among other things, stimulates the immune system and has an antioxidant effect. A decrease in its level in the body also leads to the appearance of external signs of aging.
If you do not sleep well, cannot fall asleep for reasons not related to external factors, it is better not to postpone and seek help from a doctor - sleep disorders are diverse and only a qualified specialist can prescribe the necessary measures.
- In the case when the reason for the lack of sleep is, say, work, it needs to be changed, - says Vladimir Shabalin. - Although, we have a theory of catastrophes, which says that a person approaches some kind of border, overcomes obstacles and on some this process has a strengthening effect, they acquire resistance to such stimuli, while others break down. So if such a regime affects you negatively, it must be changed. Whatever chemical means of compensation you are advised, it will still lead to destruction in the future.
Bad habits
A healthy lifestyle accounts for over 50% of the contribution to longevity. Smokers, alcoholics do not live long. Lung cancers, for example, are almost always found only in smokers. Yuri Konev, doctor of medical sciences, professor of the Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Moscow State Medical University, cardiologist, gerontologist, geriatrician, spoke about how bad habits, poor physical shape and nutrition affect the body and whether it is possible to somehow compensate for the harm caused by these factors.
- Trying to somehow compensate, minimize this harm, referring to the impossibility of getting rid of the habit. Well, it does not happen that a person cannot overcome something, knowing that it is necessary, - the gerontologist is indignant. - They will tell you: "You will die tomorrow if you do not quit smoking!" Of course, give it up. And all this love for maxims, talk that not everyone, they say, can cope, is empty.
By the way, speaking about bad habits, for some reason everyone forgets about caffeine, and this is a real killer trio: cigarettes, alcohol and coffee. It is addictive, like a narcotic substance, it disrupts the regulation of vascular tone. Continuous stimulation leads to changes in vascular tone that will adversely affect life expectancy.
Poor physical condition
- The one who sits behind the wheel most often goes to the grave, - says Yuri Vladimirovich. - The volume of movements in young people should be on average 10-12 thousand steps per day, in mature people this number decreases slightly, but still remains at least five to six thousand. Now it is very easy to control - you can download a pedometer application to your phone, which will be reset once a day and show the mode of your activity.
Unfortunately, according to the expert, it is impossible to compensate for the lack of activity while sitting in the office and doing exercises at the table. Modern research suggests that you need to maintain muscle mass for the rest of your life. Then the person will be less susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases, which are especially unpleasant in older cohorts. The doctor considers active walking and swimming to be the best alternatives to the gym.
Poor nutrition
Dietary fiber should make up a significant portion of the diet. They are found in herbs, vegetables, fruits. You can also take special supplements that have a beneficial effect on the intestines, problems with which are especially acute in the elderly.
- And the rest, so far not a single drug has been able to extend the life of a person. All experiments are carried out on model animals, the expert explains. - Gerontologists have a favorite - Drosophila flies, because they breed a lot and you can trace many generations at once. And of course, rats, mice, pigs at best. Today, not a single drug, not a single vitamin will prolong a person's life - and what difference does it make to us how long some fly has lived there? All attempts that are now on the world market are mainly commercial in nature and all groups of vitamins, especially popular ones, include tonic additives - they create the illusion of an improvement in the condition. So, alas, it is impossible to compensate for malnutrition by taking vitamins and magic pills.
Yuri Vladimirovich noted that there are blue zones in the world where the average life expectancy is slightly higher: southern Italy, Okinawa, South America. These three places are particularly prominent, although the deviations are not so great. And this works only for the population that was born and lives there permanently, so moving there in the declining years in the hope of becoming a long-liver will not work.
- We simply do not live up to 115-117 years, which nature actually gave us. Due to external factors. Due to lack of activity, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, poor nutrition, - concluded the gerontologist.