What exactly happens during “ageing”?
We are bombarded in the media about needing to delay, prevent, or hide the effects of ageing, but no one actually talks about the processes of ageing. Two of the main ones are oxidation and inflammation.
Oxidative damage is carried out by free radicals, single oxygen molecules that can damage the tissues of the body. Free radicals are produced by normal process like breathing and exercising, but are also produced by increased stress, cigarette smoke and environmental pollutants such as pesticides and heavy metals.
Inflammation is the other major way in which we age. Simply put, inflammation is your immune system's response to any problematic substance that has entered the body. The body responds by producing inflammatory compounds, which we experience as redness, heat and swelling. Inflammation is essential to keep us alive, but in excess can be highly detrimental to our health.
Oxidative damage can be reduced by the consumption of a high plant-based diet. Plants are a rich source of antioxidants, molecules that neutralise free radicals that cause oxidative damage. All fruits and vegetables contain amounts of antioxidants; try to include a variety of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables in your diet to ensue you are consuming a range of different antioxidants.
A simple way to reduce inflammation is to limit the amount of problematic substances that enter the body. This could mean reducing your alcohol intake, quitting smoking, and decreasing or omitting the pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats found predominantly in processed foods; as well as increasing the anti-inflammatory compounds you take in such as the omega 3 fats and turmeric.
Written by Dr Libby Weaver. Republished with permission of Stuff.co.nz.