Link Between Aging And Smoking

Heavy smoking may have a causal effect on facial aging, say researchers at the University of Bristol. As well as recognizing several known adverse effects such as on lung health, the research also found heavy smoking could influence appearance.

The study searched across 18,000 traits from the UK Biobank cohort to identify those that may be affected by how heavily someone smokes. The researchers wanted to demonstrate a new approach that could be used to systematically test for causal effects across thousands of outcomes by combining two existing methods: the Mendelian randomization phenome-wide association study approach and gene-by-environment interaction tests. They searched for the effects of heavy smoking using the UK Biobank cohort. The research team found their approach worked, as their results included several known effects of heavier smoking on lung function. They also identified an interesting potential effect of heavier smoking on more facial aging.

Their findings - published in PLOS Genetics - add to evidence that found heavier smoking affects facial attractiveness and the amount of wrinkling. By showing that the approach works, it could be used to search for the effects of other exposures such as alcohol intake. "We proposed a novel approach that could be used to search for causal effects of health exposures, and demonstrated this approach to search for the effects of smoking heaviness,” says Dr. Louise Millard, Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow in the Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences (PHS). “We searched across thousands of traits to identify those that may be affected by how heavily someone smokes. As well as identifying several known adverse effects such as on lung health, we also identified an adverse effect of heavier smoking on facial aging."

How To Slow Aging

Aging is something a majority of us try to prevent. Women in particular have issues with aging and go through a lot in a bid to prevent it. And while it is impossible to stop aging, it is very possible to slow down the process. In a study led by University of Minnesota Medical School faculty and University of Minnesota chemists and partners from the Mayo Clinic, researchers found a natural product known as Fisetin, which when applied, reduces the level of damaged cells in the body, which in turn slows down aging. The paper, "Fisetin is a senotherapeutic that extends health and lifespan," was published in EBioMedicine.

There have been many research modules before now which showed the possibility of reducing the burden of damaged cells and further increasing the lifespan and health of existing cells - even when treatment is done at a later time in life. With this, they have shown that the treatment of the aged with the product Fistein - all natural and found in many fruits and vegetables - has positive effects on health and lifespan.

As we age, we accumulate damaged cells. When the damaged cells accumulate to a particular level, they go through aging - the aging of the cells is known as cellular senescence. When this happens, these cells release particles with inflammatory factors telling the immune system to clear the damaged cells for those that are younger. The immune system is strong enough to clear those damaged cells but as people age, these damaged cells aren’t cleared as effectively as before thus causing accumulation of damaged cells. This in turn causes low-level inflammation and releases enzymes that cause tissue degradation. There are still disputes about the correct usage.

Many questions have been answered, but one that hasn’t is why this natural product has never been used to slow down aging? At inception there were very serious limitations when it came to understanding how the drug would act on different tissues as well as different cells in an aging body. The effects of this drug have been tested a number of times on animas, but have now been tested on humans with successful repair of damaged cells within a given tissue.

"These results suggest that we can extend the period of health, termed health span, even towards the end of life," says Paul D. Robbins, faculty member with the University of Minnesota Medical School. "But there are still many questions to address, including the right dosage, for example. In addition to showing that the drug works, this is the first demonstration that shows the effects of the drug on specific subsets of these damaged cells within a given tissue."

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Written By:

Lisa S. Jones is a certified nurse, nutritionist, fitness coach and health expert. Her training credentials include a B.Sc. in Nursing from California State University in 2013 and Youth Nutrition Specialist Certification from the American Fitness Professionals and Associates in 2015. In 2017, she also received Holistic Nutrition Certification from the American Fitness Professionals and Associates.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

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