Our society is living longer and longer. We have a better quality of life and live longer. But physiological aging, the natural process that accompanies every human being and whose progress cannot be stopped by medicine, is one thing, and pathological aging, or the premature appearance of signs of aging, is another. Anti-aging medicinehelps slow down the deterioration of our health over the years.
In some cases, an individual's chronological age does not correspond to their biological age, but rather their body shows more signs of aging than their ID card indicates. Each person's genetics influence this discrepancy, but only by 25 percent, which means that 75 percent of aging depends on external factors, such as an unbalanced diet, stress, lack of sleep, smoking, or environmental pollution.
Currently, the most widely used theory to explain aging is the free radical theory.
The author of the theory was Denham Harman in 1956, who proposed that aging is the result of damage caused by free radicals generated during normal cell metabolism. In 1972, Harman redefined his theory and argued that the main site where free radicals are generated is the mitochondria, and the theory was called the Mitochondrial Theory of Free Radical Aging.
The theory is simple. Free radicals are destructive, attacking various cell components such as DNA, proteins, lipid membranes, and carbohydrates. The degree of aging and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases are determined by the rate of free radical leakage in the mitochondria, in combination with the innate ability of cells to protect themselves or repair damage.
The idea that oxidative damage increases with aging has been supported by numerous studies. And over the last 50 years, Harman's theory has been modified to encompass not only free radicals but also other forms of activated oxygen. This has led to the theory of aging due to oxidative stress, according to which there is a chronic state of oxidative stress in the cells of aerobic organisms due to an imbalance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant factors.
The main function of mitochondria is to oxidize metabolites (Krebs cycle, β-oxidation of fatty acids) and obtain ATP through oxidative phosphorylation, which is dependent on the electron transport chain.
Free radicals are atoms, molecules, or compounds with one or more unpaired electrons in their outermost orbital. They attack sites of high density or electronic instability such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, as well as double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids, thereby modifying their functions within the cell.
Having an excess of free radicals disrupts the balance of cells and produces what is known as oxidative stress, an important phenomenon in the development of various cardiovascular, hepatic, inflammatory, tumor, and endocrine diseases.
We have also already mentioned that external factors such as environmental pollution, smoking, alcohol consumption, exposure to solar radiation, and high-fat diets contribute to an increase in free radicals.
A balanced diet that provides natural antioxidants, regular exercise, and avoiding the external factors mentioned above will help us reduce free radicals and enjoy a better quality of life, slowing down the aging process.
Anti-aging treatments or programs are not only aimed at people who have a negative balance between their chronological and biological age or who are already fully engaged in the aging process, but are designed to be applied to people aged 35 and over, since regardless of the patient's condition, their preventive nature prevails.
At Biosalud, we therefore offer two types of anti-aging treatment depending on the age and condition of the individual:
At Biosalud, we always start from the premise that treatments, whatever their type, must be personalized and individualized. That is why it is essential to know the patient's physical and mental condition as accurately as possible. This is where biological medicine comes in. This branch of medicine is based on the overall state of health and therefore goes a step beyond conventional medicine, focusing in detail on the immune system. In other words, the body is considered as a whole, relating all organs and systems to each other.
At our private biological medicine clinic, we use the latest technological advances such as food intolerance testing (FoodInt), genetic food analysis (FoodGen), obesity testing, and testing for geopathies, radiation, and environmental exotoxins.
In conclusion, anti-aging treatments, which also reduce cellular damage, improve the body internally by normalizing physiological processes and reactivating the body's own defense and regeneration mechanisms. The aim is for the person to be, and also feel, young or rejuvenated and in full physical and intellectual health.
