Aging is a phenomenon of the human life characterized by many physiological changes. These include slowed movement, smaller muscles, shortness, loss in born mass, dry and wrinkled skin, gray hair, and reduced performance of various vital organs. No single variable is responsible for aging, but a combination of multiple variables and processes within and outside of the body brings about aging. Free radicles in the form of cigarettes, excess exposure to the sun, and charred meat have been found to accelerate the process of aging, for instance, just in the same fashion as rust does to a car. Inflammation, which is common in old age is also believed to accelerate aging given that it destroys healthy cells and tissues. The overall impact of aging is a significant decrease in overall coordination, activity, and performance.
Aging in the Bones, Muscles, and Joints
Different bones are connected through joints but are never in contact with one another thanks to cartilage, synovial membrane, and fluid, all present in the joints. The muscles on top of the bones bring about movement after coordination from the brain. Changes in muscles, joints, and bone lead to slowed movement and weakness. In aging, people start to lose bone mass as the bones lose calcium ( Wang et al., 2011) . A gel material in the form of a disk cushion the vertebrae in the spine. The discs begin to lose fluid in aging, and as a result, the trunk becomes shorter. The overall effect is that an individual becomes shorter. The long bones of the legs and arms only lose mineral and become thinner. The synovial fluid begins to run out, the synovial membrane and cartilage wear out in the joints resulting in less flexible and a stiffer joint. Muscle atrophy also occurs leading to less strength and force applied by body muscles. Loss of muscle cells also results in a decrease in lean body mass. Muscles shrink due to the deposition of fats, and tough fibrous tissue replaces them. Changes in the muscles, bones, and joints generally lead to slowed movement and activity, decreased lean body mass, decrease in height and reduced flexibility.
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The Nervous System, Eyes, and Ears
The brain directs the coordination of the other parts of the body. Just like every part of the body, the brain also loses cells. The action leads to loss of memory and coordinative functions, among other brain functions ( Neltner et al., 2016) . In aging, an individual becomes more easily distracted, and their reflexes are also slowed down due to lack of proper coordination. Cognitive abilities may also slow down as one begins to age. Normal eye functions such as perceiving color and the production of tears are affected in aging. The lenses in the eyes start to stiffen and become cloudier thereby affecting vision. Aged people have difficulties seeing in low-light conditions and may not properly perceive or differentiate colors. Hearing is affected as one ages, and they find it difficult hearing high pitched sounds ( Roth, 2015) .
Heart, Kidneys & Digestive System
The heart pumps the blood for a lifetime. However, in aging, blood vessels start to lose elasticity. Fat deposits also build up against arteries. The heart has to work twice for blood to be able to reach all body regions, which may lead to hypertension and atherosclerosis. Kidneys lose cells with aging and get smaller. They become less efficient and cannot properly remove waste from blood. Kidney and other vital organs may also get damaged by disease and conditions such that they decrease in activity and efficiency. In the gut, changes include loss of elasticity of the esophagus and reduced flow of digestive secretions.
References
Neltner, J. H., Abner, E. L., Jicha, G. A., Schmitt, F. A., Patel, E., Poon, L. W., ... &Jazwinski, S. M. (2016). Brain pathologies in extreme old age. Neurobiology of Aging , 37 , 1-11.
Roth, T. N. (2015). Aging of the auditory system. In Handbook of clinical neurology (Vol. 129, pp. 357-373). Elsevier.
Wang, Y. X., Griffith, J. F., Ma, H. T., Kwok, A. W. L., Leung, J. C. S., Yeung, D. K. W., ... & Leung, P. C. (2011). Relationship between gender, bone mineral density, and disc degeneration in the lumbar spine: a study in elderly subjects using an eight-level MRI-based disc degeneration grading system. Osteoporosis International , 22 (1), 91-96.
