As telomeres get shorter, there is the chance that the genes at the end of the chromosome will get damaged; if they do, they will not recover, leading to the damaging effects of aging.
It has been reported that AXT can protect skin from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation, ameliorate age-related macular degeneration, protect against chemically induced cancers, increase high-density lipoproteins and enhance the immune system though its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties14.
This suggests an increased inherent tissue susceptibility to the damaging effects of hyperglycemia at a younger age.
Thus, in our ancestral species, natural 'group' selection could have favoured genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that promote ageing, with the damaging effects of these mechanisms only kicking in after the reproductive period, thus allowing new improved gene pools to take over (104) and keeping overall populations at a stable and sustainable level (102).
And far higher than the world's tallest mountain, researchers at Utah University discovered that a "space drink" astronauts drink can stave off the damaging effects of radiation, the main culprit behind wrinkles and other age-related blemishes.
- To put it in a nutshell, the current literature convincingly supports the concept of a cytoprotective effect of 1,25(OH)2D against the damaging effects of UV and other agents, which may help to prevent premature skin aging.
Mechanistically, the hippocampus is highly vulnerable to both age-related and metabolic insults and is particularly susceptible to the damaging effects of elevated cortisol.
