By Ruth Hilton

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Every moment of every day, a cell in our body dies. Don’t worry, it is programmed to do this. However, this continual shedding of cells poses questions about how our body changes with age. We expect to change as we grow older, but we might wonder what is natural and what should cause us worries. Here we explore these changes, so you can know what to expect.

Aging Cells

Our bodies are a composite of millions upon millions of cells. As our cells age, they will function less well and eventually must die. The genes within some cells are programmed to cause this death. Cells can only divide a set number of times. When a cell can no longer divide. The process of apoptosis, as it is called, is a way of old cells making way for new cells. The body you have now is entirely different from the one you had 9 years ago.

Cells can also be damaged by harmful substances. Further damage can be caused by free radicals, which is a natural by-product of the work of cells. There are many foods you can help that will counter the effects of free radicals, and this is worth some research.

Loss of function in our body is usually a result of disorder and not because of this aging process within the cells.

Aging Organs

Obviously, our organs operate as well as the cells that make them up. When older cells die and are not replaced, our organs begin to work less well. Our testes, ovaries, liver and kidneys lose a marked number of cells as we age. The more cells that are lost, the less well the organ will work.

The natural consequence of this loss of cells is that our organs do not function as well as we grow older. However, not all organs lose cells. Our brain does not lose cells through aging, for instance. Most cells are lost in the brain from dysfunctions, such as a stroke or progressive nerve damage.

The function of our internal organs peak at the age of thirty and slowly decline from this point. However, when we peak, we have significantly more capacity than our body needs.

Therefore, declines in health from our organs are unlikely to a result of our age.

Bones and Joints

The first signs of aging usually begin with the musculoskeletal system. Our bones become less dense. Women are more likely to struggle with reduced bone density, known as osteoporosis. This can make the chance of a fracture more likely. The speedup of this process for women is directly linked to the menopause and reduced estrogen in the body.

Bones also decline with age because our body becomes less adept at absorbing calcium. Calcium is an essential mineral for strengthening our bones. Some bones are more likely to weaken that others, for instance, the hip is more likely to break, as are our wrists.

The cartilage at our joints is also susceptible to wear and tear due to age. The weakening of cartilage means that the bones do not rub well over each other, and this can make them open to injury. The consequence of reduced cartilage is arthritis, which is one of the most common disorders of our older age.

Muscles and Body Fat

Our muscles mass will start to decrease from about the age of thirty and will continue to decline into our old age. The decline is partly due to a decrease in physical activity, as our lives slow down, and partly due to a reduction in growth hormones in the body. We slow down as a result of muscle decline too. We lose the fast-twitch muscle fibres first, which then, as a consequence, results in the decrease in the slow-twitch muscles.

However, our bodies only lose about 10 – 15% of our muscle mass naturally over a lifetime. Further loss of muscle is preventable with regular exercise.

The only other explanations for a sudden loss of muscle are diseases and disorders, which either causes muscle death or results in an individual more static than is healthy. If you are restricted to bed rest for a day, you would need to exercise for up to two weeks to regain this lost muscle.

By the age of 75, your body fat will have doubled to what it was in young adulthood. Too much fat and you severely increase your chances of many life-limiting disorders. Consequently, as you grow older, it becomes essential to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regime.

Ruth Hilton is a Nurse Advisor in the continence management division for HARTMANN Direct, a UK-based supplier of  incontinence products.