DNA and Aging

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the role that DNA plays in the aging process. The author looks at several studies that have been conducted over the years that look at how different types of drugs and disease affect the aging process. Some of the studies involved a look at such issues as cholesterol and the effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs on both the human and animal populations. The paper also looks at Vitamin K, the loss of DNA from the human heart as a person ages, how a person's alcohol and tobacco use affect their longevity. In all of these cases, the paper looks at both the male and female populations in order to illustrate how all of these different aspects affect an individual's DNA and as a result, their life expectancy.

From the Paper:

"The third category, accretional defects, results from the accumulation of waste materials composed of nonfunctioning of poorly functioning parts of the body system during aging. These involve the liver and kidneys. The human liver must absorb 70% of the dysfunction before they appear in routine blood tests (Strehler), since it is one of the many jobs of the liver to remove bilirubin from the blood. (Bilirubin is a natural by-product of red blood cells at the end of their life cycle.) A high-level bilirubin translates into jaundice and is harmful to the brain if high levels accumulate in the blood. But if the liver's own removal cells are malfunctioning, bilirubin accumulates in the blood and damages the person's overall health. (Strehler). The kidneys are even hardier : 90% of them must sustain the damage and be damaged themselves before abnormalities are detected in blood tests of kidney function (Strehler). This means a person may have kidney trouble for many years without knowing it, only until his or her kidneys are 90% damaged, during which the signs of illness begin to show."

More papers on DNA and Aging:

• Research Paper # 107754 : "Reactive Oxygen Species and Free Radicals in Aging"
• Analytical Essay # 67995 : "Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA" "
• Essay # 21010 : "Aging Theories"

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