Essentially, our bodies start to fail as we age. The speed and age at which this happens will depend on a variety of factors, including genetics and lifestyle choices. Human life expectancy is increasing all the time, and advances in medicine, knowledge and understanding are constantly progressing. So, what causes our bodies to fail as we age?

Cell health

Let’s be clear – this is an incredibly complicated area of research. Put simply, as we age, the cells that make up our bodies start to die or mutate, a process known as ‘cellular senescence’. Once this happens, rogue cells can start to affect healthy cells and tissues, impacting our immune system and even our DNA.

Age-related diseases

Once our immune system becomes compromised, we are more prone to developing diseases which can curtail our lives significantly – cancers, heart disease and Alzheimer’s, to name just a few.

Biological versus chronological age

Our biological age tells us how old our bodies are, rather than how long we’ve been alive (our chronological age). Crucially, we are able to influence our biological age by improving lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and stress levels. And younger, healthier bodies are less likely to decay and experience cell mutation, as well as being better able to fight disease if it should occur.

How long are humans able to live? Spoiler: it might be much longer than you think