PL
Starzenie rozpoczyna się na poziomie molekularnym. Aktualna teoria starzenia zakłada, że jest to proces wieloczynnikowy, którego skutkiem jest nagromadzenie uszkodzeń w cząsteczkach białek, lipidów i kwasów nukleinowych i zaburzenie ich funkcji. Przebieg starzenia jest regulowany przez wiele czynników, które można podzielić na czynniki genetyczne oraz poza genetyczne (głównie środowiskowe). Ponieważ genomy i środowiska każdego człowieka są różne, dlatego ludzie nie starzeją się w tym samym tempie. Co więcej, różne narządy tej samej osoby mają nieco inne tempo starzenia.
EN
Aging is a multifactorial process that starts at the molecular level and results in the accumulation of defects in proteins, lipids and nucleic acids and disruption of their function. Longevity and the course of aging are regulated by many genetic and non-genetic factors. Up to the ninth decade of life, the length of life depends on genes only in 25 - 30%, while in the remaining 70 - 75% on environmental and stochastic factors. At a later age, the role of genetic factors increases. Longevity depends primarily on having favorable polymorphic variants of genes that regulate the rate of aging. Aging is accompanied by a progressive change in the epigenome, the socalled epigenetic drift, that results in aging-associated change of acitivity of many genes. In the course of life, a diet plays an important role in affecting epigenome and metabolism. The most effective method of prolonging life and its healthy phase is caloric restriction. Beneficial effects in prolonging the healthy phase of life and delaying the occurrence of age-related diseases also have diets which do not require calorie restriction, but are mostly based on vegetables and fruits. Recently, a number of compounds have been identified that mimic the effects of calorie restriction diet (clinical trials are under way).