Are we as old as our arteries?

Like all structures in our body, arteries are also subject to aging processes. Our vessels’ physiological aging process is defined as physio sclerosis, which results in the vessel walls’ loss of elasticity. This process is accompanied by a transformation of our arteries, known as arteriosclerosis. The latter disease is when blood fat, connective tissue and calcium phosphate deposits can be found within the vessels’ walls. These deposits form so called plaques which narrow or even completely block the vessels. Plaques are not covered with a healthy vascular wall, but with a connective tissue cap that can easily tear. Affected vessels lead to a decreased circulation and insufficient oxygen supply to the successive tissue. If the body cannot compensate this defect, a heart attack can set in. Furthermore, if a plaque tears, the coagulation system gets to work. The body tries to fix the vessel damage and reacts with a blood clot or a thrombus. This could even seal a vessel completely, or peel away and move to other vessels, such a the brain, thus causing a stroke.

Even if arteriosclerosis and its pathogenesis are not fully explicable, scientists suspect that a damage in the inner blood vessel walls and an augmented arterial blood pressure as well as higher blood fat levels, form the basis of the issue. This leads to the assumption that a healthy and active lifestyle can avoid illnesses or positively affect the course of a disease. Arteriosclerosis and its predecessors are not a phenomena of old age. Autopsies on fallen soldiers during the Vietnam war showed that many of the young men had deposits, known as fatty streaks, in their vessels. These fatty streaks signify the primary stage of arteriosclerosis and are, from a current scientific standpoint, reversible.

On the other hand, research on people of more than 100 years of age has shown that arteriosclerosis is often visibly less pronounced. This research on age concentrates on the so-called methusalem villages in Italy, Japan and Ecuador, which are home to an unusually large amount of people over 100 years of age. The elders in these towns all have certain things in common: they are physically active up until an old age, are rarely overweight, and live on a well-balanced and healthy diet. Their nutrition involves mainly fruits and vegetables, accompanied by fish and healthy fats. This research leaves room to believe that it is not only genetics, but also lifestyle, which affects our ageing process. In the end, one can say that the health status of our arteries is crucial to our general health. An active lifestyle can positively affect our vascular system, help avoid a large amount of illnesses, and increase our lifespan.

Image 1 © “Syda Productions” / Fotolia.com 
Image 2 © “Africa Studio” / Fotolia.com