Genes Used To Predict How We Age!

There has always been a debate whether a person’s genes has anything to do with how they age. Until now, they had not been any studies carried out to provide a definite answer to this question to whether Genes can be used to predict how we age.

While scientist don’t actually know why we age, they have come up with two theories. They call them Wear and Tear and Programming. The first theory  suggests that over time our genes get damages and as a result of the damage our cells degrade over time because of several factors including  environmental degradation, and thus work less to regenerate themselves.

The second theory is that, animals are programmed to die, that is our genes have instructions that automatically program them to die as is evident in mouse living 2 years and humans living for 75 years on the average.

There are all kinds of solutions and advice out there on how one should take care of themselves in other to age gracefully. There are several anti aging products, some natural, some artificial including surgery. None of these solutions take into account how a person’s genes can help them to age gracefully.

Two individuals can undertake the same anti aging formula to look younger; one might be effective and the other might not.  There has been no way to correlate why one person would look younger with/without  treatment and the other person would not.

There are situations where individuals look forever young even though they do not use any anti aging products. I used to wonder why some people seems to never grow old. You cannot look at their faces or their bodies and even predict how old they are unless you ask them their age. Some of them are even nicknamed Baby face because they never seem to age.

But as you will read the article below you will find that researchers are now doing extensive research and have found the answer to this old age question, which is, does our genes determine how we age?

You are going to find that they have done extensive studies especially among women and have found that some of them have specific generic fingerprints that play a significant role on how they age, or how they look. This is very significant because if an individual is able to determine how their genes affect their aging process they will be able to have the right kind of solution to deal with their aging process.

Your Genes and Aging: Can You Predict How Well You’ll Age?

Posted in Skin Care, Beauty Tips By Victoria Moorhouse
Drink water, slather on that SPF, moisturize, keep exposure to pollution and the sun to a minimum—there’s tons of tips out there that are said to help in the attempt to prevent fine lines and wrinkles. We know that eternal youth isn’t possible and nothing will permanently stop all wrinkles from forming, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to anti-aging and your skin.

But what if anti-aging skin care had more to do with your genes than with how you care for your skin. What if your genetic fingerprint dictated—and predicted—how you’ll age? A new Olay study in coordination with personal genetics company 23andMe indicates that could be the case.

This study found that some especially young-looking women, classified as “Exceptional Skin Agers,” have a unique genetic fingerprint that plays a role in how good they look. About 2,100 of their genes are essentially working harder and more efficiently in areas associated with younger-looking skin!

Turns out, we all have these genes, but the expression was reportedly increased in the group that looked a lot younger than they actually were.

The Study
The Multi-Decade and Ethnicity (MDE) study was an attempt to discover just what happens to your skin as you age, and how that affects your appearance. To do this, they gathered 350 women belonging to four different ethnic groups and in a variety of age ranges from their 20s through their 70s.

To identify the Exceptional Skin Agers in the study, they started with a visual analysis system that depicted the subject’s perceived ages. If a participant was perceived to be 30 but she was really 55, she would then be categorized in the exceptional skin ager group. They then looked at the way these women’s genes were expressed to make sure it wasn’t all just coincidence or a really good makeup day.

What They Found
“When we compared the exceptional skin agers and the average women, we saw there was a fingerprint of around about 2,000 genes that were being differently expressed, or that were differently active in a significant way from the average women,” says Olay principal scientist Dr. Frauke Neuser.

“For example, there are a number of genes that are responsible for,

let’s say, cell energy production—so that the skin cells have enough energy to repair themselves, enough energy to make collagen, have enough energy for the desirable skin cells to turn over. All of those genes ….

To find out more about “Your Genes and Aging: Can You Predict How Well You’ll Age?” , click here