Reviewing the Aging of Heart Tissue

This open access paper takes a brief tour of the dominant themes in the aging of heart tissue, viewed structurally and biochemically. These are some of the changes that have yet to be assembled into a coherent and generally agreed upon chain of events, starting with fundamental cellular damage, and proceeding through successive layers of cause and consequence in reaction to that damage. Most of the research community begins a line of inquiry with an investigation of one facet of the aged, diseased state. Researchers then attempt to work backwards to identify and address proximate causes of the observed problems, one by one, producing marginal improvements. The alternative approach of starting with fundamental damage and attempting to fix it in order to observe a resulting sweeping improvement all the way down the chain of consequences has far too little support. Note the links to the list of fundamental damage from the SENS rejuvenation research portfolio in the items below: mitochondrial damage and amyloid are mentioned directly; senescent cells and cross-linking drive harmful extracellular matrix changes; cross-linking also stiffens arteries, which produces hypertension, which in turn drives remodeling of heart structure. The average lifespan of the human population is increasing worldwide, mostly because of declining fertility and increasing longevity. It has been predicted that, in 2035, nearly one in four individuals will be 65 years or older. With age being the...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs