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. 2023 Jul 18;9(8):e18239.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18239. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Intrinsic and environmental basis of aging: A narrative review

Carla Navarro  1 , Juan Salazar  1 , María P Díaz  1 , Maricarmen Chacin  2 , Raquel Santeliz  1 , Ivana Vera  1 , Luis D Marco  3 , Heliana Parra  1 , Mary Carlota Bernal  4 , Ana Castro  1 , Daniel Escalona  1 , Henry García-Pacheco  5   6 , Valmore Bermúdez  2
Affiliations

Intrinsic and environmental basis of aging: A narrative review

Carla Navarro et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Longevity has been a topic of interest since the beginnings of humanity, yet its aetiology and precise mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Aging is currently viewed as a physiological phenomenon characterized by the gradual degeneration of organic physiology and morphology due to the passage of time where both external and internal stimuli intervene. The influence of intrinsic factors, such as progressive telomere shortening, genome instability due to mutation buildup, the direct or indirect actions of age-related genes, and marked changes in epigenetic, metabolic, and mitochondrial patterns constitute a big part of its underlying endogenous mechanisms. On the other hand, several psychosocial and demographic factors, such as diet, physical activity, smoking, and drinking habits, may have an even more significant impact on shaping the aging process. Consequentially, implementing dietary and exercise patterns has been proposed as the most viable alternative strategy for attenuating the most typical degenerative aging changes, thus increasing the likelihood of prolonging lifespan and achieving successful aging.

Keywords: Age-related genes; Aging; Chronic diseases; Obesity; Telomerase; Telomeres.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Theories of aging.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The hallmarks of aging.
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Fig. 3
Metabolomic and mitochondrial pathways related to aging and longevity.
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Fig. 4
Nutrient sensing pathways influencing longevity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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