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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : June 11, 2014 12:43 PM IST
Ageing is inevitable, but the secret to why some people age more gracefully could lie in the functioning of a protein in our body. Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) protein could be the key to maintain the health of ageing blood stem cells as loss of this protein affects their ability to regenerate blood normally, a study indicates. 'Our data shows that SIRT1 is a protein that is required to maintain the health of blood stem cells and supports the possibility that reduced function of this protein with age may compromise healthy ageing,' explained Saghi Ghaffari, an associate professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
Humans store stem cell pools in key tissues, including blood. These stem cells can become replacement cells for those lost to wear and tear.
But as the blood stem cells age, their ability to regenerate blood declines, potentially contributing to anaemia and the risk of cancers like acute myeloid leukemia and immune deficiency. The new study showed that young blood stem cells that lack SIRT1 behave like old ones. With use of advanced mouse models, the researchers found that blood stem cells without adequate SIRT1 resembled aged and defective stem cells, which are thought to be linked to development of malignancies. (Read: Self-esteem The secret to healthy ageing)
'The notion that SIRT1 is a powerful regulator of ageing has been highly debated, but its connection to the health of blood stem cells is now clear,' Ghaffari added. 'Identifying regulators of stem cell ageing is of major significance for public health because of their potential power to promote healthy ageing and provide targets to combat diseases of ageing,' she noted. (Read: Balanced lifestyle key to healthy ageing)
The findings appeared in the journal Stem Cell Reports.
How well age depends on many factors?
The functional capacity of an individual's biological system increases during the first years of life, reaches its peak in early adulthood and naturally declines thereafter. The rate of decline is determined, at least in part, by our behaviours and exposures across the whole life course. These include what we eat, how physically active we are and our exposure to health risks such as those caused by smoking, harmful consumption of alcohol, or exposure to toxic substances.
Even in poor countries, most older people die of NCDs
Even in poor countries, most older people die of noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, rather than from infectious and parasitic diseases. In addition, older people often have several health problems at the same time, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Globally, many older people are at risk of maltreatment
Around 4-6% of older people in developed countries have experienced some form of maltreatment at home. Abusive acts in institutions include physically restraining patients, depriving them of dignity (by for instance leaving them in soiled clothes) and intentionally providing insufficient care (such as allowing them to develop pressure sores). The maltreatment of older people can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences.
The need for long-term care is rising
The number of older people who are no longer able to look after themselves in developing countries is forecast to quadruple by 2050. Many of the very old lose their ability to live independently because of limited mobility, frailty or other physical or mental health problems. Many require some form of long-term care, which can include home nursing, community care and assisted living, residential care and long stays in hospitals. (Read: Interesting facts about ageing)
With inputs from IANS
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