Longevity Chronobiology is the scientific and clinical discipline that investigates the relationship between the body’s internal biological rhythms, particularly the circadian clock, and the rate of biological aging and disease susceptibility. It is the study of how temporal misalignment, or chronodisruption, accelerates aging processes and shortens the health span. This field seeks to identify and implement time-based interventions that reinforce rhythmic integrity, thereby promoting cellular repair, metabolic stability, and extended vitality. Understanding this biological timing is a key to precision anti-aging medicine.
Origin
This term combines the field of chronobiology, the study of biological rhythms, with gerontology, the study of aging and longevity. Its theoretical foundation is the idea that the master clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and its peripheral clocks are intimately linked to key longevity pathways, such as sirtuins and mTOR. The clinical relevance emerged as researchers identified the disruption of these rhythms as a hallmark of aging and metabolic disease.
Mechanism
The mechanism involves the rhythmic expression of “clock genes” (e.g., Period, Cryptochrome) that govern a vast network of physiological functions, including DNA repair, cellular detoxification, and hormone secretion. Maintaining robust, high-amplitude oscillations in these clock genes optimizes cellular maintenance and repair cycles. Interventions focus on reinforcing these rhythms through precisely timed light exposure, eating patterns, and physical activity, thereby mitigating the age-related decline in rhythmic amplitude and phase coherence.
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