Our body is made up of 37 trillion cells.As you learned in your high school biology class, cells have a nucleus, and inside that there are chromosomes.And the DNA that makes up our chromosomes holds the blueprints for the proteins that make up our bodies.This blueprint is different for each person.That's why we all look different and have different personalities.The important thing is that the susceptibility to getting sick differs from person to person.This is why some people gain weight and others do not, even if they eat the same amount.
One of the individual differences is the length of telomeres.There are 46 pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus of one cell.Chromosomes are aggregates of DNA that have cap-like parts called telomeres at both ends.
In many cells, telomeres are known to become shorter and shorter each time the cell divides.The faster it shortens, the faster it ages.
Since aging is a natural phenomenon, it is natural for telomeres to shorten.Unfortunately, every time the telomeres get shorter, it becomes more difficult for the body to work according to the DNA blueprint.It is said that this is because every time the telomere shortens, the speed of repairing DNA and degrading and recycling proteins slows down, leaving damage to DNA and the membranes that make up the cell, resulting in poor performance. .This can lead to various diseases.
For example, there is a disease called Alzheimer's disease, which is caused by the accumulation of a protein called amyloid β in the brain.
Amyloid β is also present in the brains of young people, but normally there are proper enzymes to clean it out and it does not accumulate.So you can remember what you learned in school.However, when the telomeres of certain cells in the brain become shorter, cell function declines, and amyloid β accumulates steadily without being cleared.As a result, my memory deteriorates, and I can't even remember the name of my child, let alone the location of the key I just put away.
But fortunately, we can slow down the telomere shortening time.
The method of health promotion is the same as before, paying attention to diet, exercise, and rest.However, since the susceptibility to illness varies from person to person, what kind of diet should be taken, what kind of exercise should be done and how much stress should be tolerated differ from person to person. That's it.
If we can test at the genetic level, we will be able to make a program for how to eat and how to exercise that suits each person.In other words, it will be possible to extend healthy life expectancy more effectively than now.
When you all start working, or in about 10 years from now, gene therapy and regenerative medicine using iPS cells may become commonplace.And our work as a nurse will continue to evolve.Would you like to work together in such an exciting world?
【references】
Fossel, M. (2015). The Telomerase Revolution: The Enzyme That Holds the Key to Human Aging and Will Lead to Longer, Healthier Lives. Dallas: BenBella.
