Theory about aging in humans and hypotheses about its possible delay.
Living beings can maintain their metastable state, e.g. can escape from the first law of thermodynamics by being open systems, by taking up high energy molecules and by dissipating waste products, heat and work. According to the present theory they can stay alive as long as they can escape from the external chaos which is due to the second law of thermodynamics. It is argued that aging is caused by penetration of this chaos into our body in the form of excess trace elements and as xenobiotic elements which either stop the functioning of our living cells or bring it out of neural or hormonal control. Aging might be delayed by the fact that sulfur metabolism maintains an H2S tension in the human body able to precipitate the xenobiotic elements from our tissues. For our defense we depend further on phagocytes to transport the precipitates to organs where they can be dissolved and excreted. It is suggested that the regular passing of kaoline, a natural cation exchanger, through the intestinal tract will help to extract the xenobiotic elements from the body. As far as cardiovascular diseases are concerned, they start with the inevitable tendency of triglycerides to form crystalline precipitates at the surface of the intima in the arteries and capillary vessels. It is hypothesized here that cholesterol serves as a complex former, together with yet unknown plasma protein factors to the triglycerides enabling the solubilization of the precipitates. It is supposed to act as a sort of hormone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Driessens
F C
FC
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Barcelona, Spain.
D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects; D007616:Kaolin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008055:Lipids / Q000502:physiology; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology; D008274:Magnesium / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013816:Thermodynamics; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000378:metabolism
D008055:Lipids; D015262:Xenobiotics; D007616:Kaolin; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D008274:Magnesium