As you get older, you’ve been told to expect certain things. Stiff joints, lessened mobility, changes in eyesight, appetite, and more. But what’s behind all this? And is there a way to combat the effects of aging?

Today, we’re looking at how aging impacts your body on a cellular level – and how, with this knowledge, you can adjust your lifestyle and wellness habits to lessen your symptoms of aging.

The symptoms of aging – joint pain, muscle atrophy, brain fog, loss of bone density, and more – are complex and caused by a variety of factors. Most of us know that we begin to absorb essential vitamins & minerals less effectively as we get older. We have been told that joints wear down over time, causing arthritis.

But one factor that isn’t taken into consideration is called “cellular senescence.”

Cellular senescence is the point at which our cells stop dividing and growing due to damage or lack of necessary components. This was originally discovered in the lab setting for cell cultures only.

However, later, senescence was found to occur in actuality. This halt in normal cell division happens due to stress: there is telomere dysfunction, DNA damage that is not repaired and oncogene activation.

As cells age, they lose their ability to actively divide. Successful division is needed for proper maintenance of our systems. Things like oxidative stress, a lack of essential vitamins, and more can “speed up” this aging process.

Really, aging is simply the result of an accumulation of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation which ultimately leads to senescence (death). There is an accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria in senescent cells.

There are changes in the membrane potentials, the mass and morphology of the mitochondria. There are fewer sirtuins for the mitochondria (age-regulating proteins).

If cells are unable to divide and repair themselves in the face of such stress, then aging will happen. Senescent cell accumulation promotes ageing and dysfunction. Senescent cells are different in that they stop dividing (living) but they don’t really die such that they can be removed and replaced.

These cells then cause persistent inflammation and stress on the rest of the cellular surroundings.

What is one of the most prominent factors behind cell damage? Oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress occurs when reactive oxygen species (or free radicals) outnumber antioxidants in your body. Free radicals are produced as “waste products” when your body utilizes things like oxygen, converts food into energy, and more.

Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons that are produced when materials are broken down by your body undergoing its natural processes. These unpaired electrons seek a pair and will attack and destroy any molecule that has one. Antioxidants can neutralize these reactive species prior to damage.

As you age, and your cells undergo more and more stress as described above – it becomes more difficult for your body to produce its own antioxidants. Likewise, a diet lacking in antioxidants and the micronutrients required to produce your own will lead to more and more cell death.

Omega-3’s protect and keep cell membranes flexible, which may then process things like oxygen more freely. Omega-3s are also integral to the resolvin system and help to fight chronic inflammation.

Resveratrol is an antioxidant polyphenol found in red wine that has many anti-aging properties.

According to this review, resveratrol’s anti-aging benefits include “cardiovascular benefits via increased nitric oxide production, down-regulation of vasoactive peptides, lowered levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and cyclooxygenase inhibition; possible benefits on Alzheimer’s disease by breakdown of beta-amyloid and direct effects on neural tissues; phytohormonal actions; anticancer properties… “ and much more!

This is a powerful and natural tool you can use in your anti-aging routine – so you can continue to age vibrantly.