By Judd Matsunaga, Esq.
Aging is inevitable. And as they say in sports, “Father Time is undefeated.” No man can stop the clock, but according to the latest studies on biological research, there are ways to slow its tick and enjoy life as we age with grace and vigor.
Harvard professor Dr. Anthony L. Komaroff said in an online article, “Can We Slow the Aging Process?” (May 1, 2021), “You may be dubious, but yes, it is possible.”
Dr. Komaroff comments on a colleague who studies aging, Harvard Medical School genetics professor David Sinclair, who says, “There are certain cold-water fish that may never die natural deaths. They die from injury or being consumed by a larger animal, but it’s not clear they die naturally. Some are hundreds of years old, and still frisky. Scientists are beginning to understand the natural biological processes that control aging, including specific genes involved, and they’ve made some truly remarkable discoveries.
“For example, in a laboratory dish, inserting certain genes into adult human cells can convert them into cells like the very first cells in the human embryo. Aged cells can be made young again. You can turn back the clock — all the way back to the beginning. That’s extraordinary, but it’s cells in a laboratory dish, not living animals.
“Could aging be slowed in living animals? When scientists introduced a handful of genes into worms, the worms lived five times as long. And, until nearly the very end, the worms still were as active as they had been in their youth, able even to copulate. Extending their life span extended their health span. It did not increase their period of decrepitude.
“Another genetics professor here at Harvard Medical School, George Church, inserted three genes associated with longevity into mice. Mice are more complex than worms. They are mammals, like us. Many things we find to be true in mice prove to be true of us. Inserting the longevity genes into the mice protected them from becoming obese and from developing diabetes, kidney failure, and heart failure. Genes that extended life also protected against diseases of aging.”
Dr. Komaroff continued, “My colleague [David] Sinclair recently used similar gene therapy techniques to insert a combination of three genes into cells in the eyes of mice going blind from aging. This fully restored vision in the aging mice — with no ill effects. Sinclair’s team had been able to reach into one aging and failing organ, and rejuvenate that organ. Could similar techniques one day rejuvenate failing organs in us? You can be sure there are scientists interested in answering that question.”
According to another Harvard Medical School online article, “Exercise and Aging: Can You Walk Away from Father Time?” (March 9, 2014), “Some of the changes of aging start as early as the third decade of life. After age 25-30, for example, the average man’s maximum attainable heart rate declines by about one beat per minute, per year, and his heart’s peak capacity to pump blood drifts down by 5%-10% per decade. That’s why a healthy 25-year-old heart can pump 2½ quarts of blood a minute, but a 65-year-old heart can’t get above 1½ quarts, and an 80-year-old heart can pump only about a quart, even if it’s disease-free.
“In everyday terms, this diminished aerobic capacity can produce fatigue and breathlessness with modest daily activities.
“Starting in middle age, a man’s blood vessels begin to stiffen and his blood pressure often creeps up as well. His blood itself changes, becoming more viscous (thicker and stickier) and harder to pump through the body, even though the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells declines.
“Most Americans begin to gain weight in midlife, putting on 3-4 pounds a year. But since men start to lose muscle in their 40s, that extra weight is all fat. This extra fat contributes to a rise in LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol and a fall in HDL (‘good’) cholesterol. It also helps explain why blood sugar levels rise by about 6 points per decade, making Type 2 diabetes distressingly common in senior citizens.
“The loss of muscle continues, eventually reducing a man’s musculature by up to 50%, which contributes to weakness and disability. At the same time, muscles and ligaments get stiff and tight. Although men have a lower risk of osteoporosis (‘thin bones’) than women, they do lose bone calcium as they age, increasing the risk of fractures. One reason for the drop in muscle mass and bone density is a drop in the male hormone testosterone, which declines by about 1% per year after the age of 40. Though most men continue to have normal testosterone levels and reproductive capacity throughout life, many experience a gradual decline in libido and sexual vigor.
“The nervous system also changes over time. Reflexes are slower, coordination suffers, and memory lapses often crop up at embarrassing times. The average person gets less sleep in maturity than in youth, even if he no longer needs to set his alarm clock. Not surprisingly, spirits often sag as the body slows down. It sounds grim — and these changes happen to healthy men. Men with medical problems start to age earlier and slow down even more. All in all, aging is not for sissies.”
Heart disease is the leading killer of American men. Because exercise helps improve so many cardiac risk factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and stress), it should have a powerful protective influence on heart attacks — and it does. Back in 1978, the Harvard Alumni Study found that men who exercise regularly are 39% less likely to suffer heart attacks than their sedentary peers. It was a groundbreaking observation, and it’s been confirmed many times over.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America. Like heart disease, many strokes are caused by atherosclerosis, which is why heart attacks and stroke share so many risk factors. It’s no surprise, then, that exercise can reduce the risk of stroke. Twenty-four years after its report on exercise and heart disease, the Harvard Alumni Study linked mild exercise to a 24% risk reduction; moderate to intensive exercise was even better, reducing risk by 46%.
Cancer is different — but exercise can also help fight the nation’s second leading killer. Colon cancer is the clearest example; Harvard’s Health Professionals Follow-Up Study found that highly active men are 47% less likely to develop the disease than their sedentary peers, and many other studies agree. Although the evidence is far less conclusive, regular exercise may even help prevent prostate cancer.
No man can stop the clock, but every man can slow its tick. According to the experts at Harvard Medical School, “To keep your body as young as possible for as long as possible, keep it moving.” Research shows that many of the changes attributed to aging are actually caused in large part by disuse. Hippocrates got it right about 2,400 years ago, explaining, “That which is used develops; that which is not wastes away.”
There’s another old saying, “Resting is rusting.” The meaning is that prolonged inactivity leads to physical, mental, and social decline, like metal oxidizing without use, highlighting the need for consistent activity and engagement to stay healthy, sharp, and vibrant. Even when true rest (recovery) is necessary, stagnation and idleness are damaging. It emphasizes that true rest is different from laziness; rest should rejuvenate, not lead to decline, and movement, learning, and connection are vital to prevent physical weakening and mental dulling.
If you give up and let Father Time take his toll, you might not see 2027. Since most of us plan on lasting at least another year, a proper exercise program will help delay many of the changes of aging, particularly when you combine it with other preventive measures (e.g., diet, sleep, etc.). And the same program can help ward off many of the chronic illnesses that too often tarnish a man or woman’s golden years.
Endurance exercise is the best way to improve cardiovascular function. The experts prescribe walking, jogging, and biking for endurance training. They could have achieved the same benefits with swimming, racquet sports, rowing, cross-country skiing, aerobic dance, and even golf (as long as players walk the course). A variety of exercise machines can also do the job, but only if you use them properly.
The key is regular activity. Start slowly if you are out of shape, then build up gradually to 3-4 hours a week. A program as simple as 30 minutes of brisk walking nearly every day will produce major benefits.
Endurance training helps keep the heart muscle supple and the arteries flexible, lowers the resting heart rate, and boosts the heart’s peak ability to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the body’s tissues. A related benefit is a fall in blood pressure. Endurance exercise is also the best way to protect the body’s metabolism from the effects of age. It reduces body fat, sensitizes the body’s tissues to insulin, and lowers blood sugar levels. Exercise boosts the HDL cholesterol and lowers levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
And the same types of activity will fight some of the neurological and psychological changes of aging. Endurance exercise boosts mood and improves sleep, countering anxiety and depression. In addition, it improves reflex time and helps stave off age-related memory loss. All in all, many of the changes that physiologists attribute to aging are actually caused by disuse.
In conclusion, exercise is wonderful for your health — but to get gain without pain, you must do it wisely, using restraint and judgment every step of the way. If you’re older than 40, or you have medical problems, you might want to get a medical check-up before you begin a moderate to vigorous exercise program. Although treadmill stress tests were once considered an important precaution, they are not necessary for most people who are healthy, even if they are senior citizens.
Finally, although exercise can do much to remove the rust of aging, it can’t do it all.
Exercise is not the fountain of youth, but it is a good long drink of vitality, especially as part of a comprehensive program. Recent research upholds the long-standing advice to eat five fruits and vegetables a day. It’s called the “Longevity Formula: Three vegetables plus two fruits a day.”
Lastly, as Roman poet Cicero said, “No one is so old that he does not think he could live another year.”
Judd Matsunaga, Esq., is the founding partner of the Law Offices of Matsunaga & Associates, specializing in estate/Medi-Cal planning, probate, personal injury and real estate law. With offices in Torrance, Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Pasadena and Fountain Valley, he can be reached at (800) 411-0546. Opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.