What is the Origin of Premature Aging Causes?

This concept is a cornerstone of geroscience, the study of the biological mechanisms of aging, emphasizing that aging is a plastic process influenced by multiple controllable factors. The clinical translation focuses on biomarkers of biological age rather than chronological time.

What is the Mechanism of Premature Aging Causes?

Chronic stress and toxic exposure trigger the production of reactive oxygen species, leading to mitochondrial and DNA damage, a hallmark of aging. Persistent HPA axis activation results in elevated cortisol, which catabolizes tissue and suppresses anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone. The resulting anabolic-catabolic imbalance accelerates sarcopenia, bone loss, and skin degradation, driving the visible and functional signs of premature aging.

Premature Aging Causes ∞ Area

Premature Aging Causes

Meaning

The collection of endogenous and exogenous factors that accelerate the rate of biological decline, leading to a functional age that is significantly older than the chronological age. Key causes include chronic oxidative stress, persistent low-grade inflammation (inflammaging), telomere shortening, and hormonal decline or dysregulation, particularly of the somatotropic and gonadal axes. Identifying and mitigating these causes is the focus of longevity medicine.