Читать книгу The Principles and Practice of Antiaging Medicine for the Clinical Physician - Dr. Vincent C. Giampapa - Страница 17

Since the 1960s, a number of theories of aging have evolved. They are based on the degree of knowledge present at a given time. Today this degree of knowledge is proceeding exponentially! In reality, there is no single cause of aging. Aging is a complex series of events that changes from year to year for each individual as he or she interacts with the environment. It can best be conceptualized as a change in a different series of gene activity, as we move through childhood to “adolescence to adulthood and eventually old age. A review of the theories of aging popular in the past gives a general idea of some of the fundamental events involved.¹ Familiarity with these general theories should result in an understanding of the basic concepts behind the clinical treatment of aging and the aging codes (Diagram II-1).

Since the mid-1990s, some startling new information has led me to the formation of a new theory of aging that is based and focused more on the ultimate source of aging itself: DNA. This theory, along with the information on the importance of stem cells and their contribution to the aging process, constitutes this new paradigm of aging. It will be discussed in more detail at the end of this chapter.