Obesity and Aging – Everything You Need To Know

In a previous article, I covered osteoporosis and aging. However, that’s a common relationship. Everyone knows our bones get weaker with age. But, what about obesity and aging? Did you know they’re closely related?

Now, the link isn’t as clear as memory issues or poor vision. That said, it’s an interesting and complex relationship. For instance, both conditions are prone to developing the same comorbidities. Therefore, it’s a fascinating relationship. Also, it’s one that can hinder your quality of life.

Naturally, that’s why I’m diving into the topic today.

Obesity and aging share comorbidities, conditions, and more

As I mentioned, obesity and aging comorbidities are incredibly similar. That’s because the two conditions share similar phenotypes. I’ll dive into those phenotypes a bit more later. For now, I’ll name some, like genomic integrity and mitochondrial impairment.

Naturally, other effects are easier to notice. For instance, body composition shifts are quite hard to miss.

A more intriguing connection is obesity’s life expectancy reduction. Some researchers believe this could be due to aging acceleration. Obesity jeopardizes nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. And, it also modifies our DNA methylation patterns. They’re responsible for aging in certain tissues.

Systemic inflammation and telomere shortening are other aging signs in obese people. As such, it’s easy to infer a relationship between the two.

How obesity can accelerate aging in people

Aging has certain hallmarks, or areas we can use to define aging. Curiously, these hallmarks tend to relate to obesity. Of course, some have a more direct link than others. However, they shed light on the two conditions’ relationship.

1. Firstly, we have telomeres. Telomeres shorten as we age. Additionally, obesity could also correlate with telomere shortening.
2. Epigenetic alterations refer to changes in gene expression. A close correlation between obesity’s epigenetic alterations and tissue aging exists. Curiously, this suggests that obese people age differently.
3. As our tissues age, mitochondrial dysfunction becomes more prevalent. It also occurs with excessive nutrient intake. Thus, obesity and age could add up in this case.
4. Obesity could also block cell proliferation. Then, this process may promote aging by slowing cell reproduction.
5. Aging and obesity disrupt stem cells and their maintenance functions. Obesity doesn’t mimic aging’s effects on compartments, though.
6. Two nutrient signal pathways, IIS and mTOR, accelerate aging. Obesity could over-activate these pathways. On the other hand, obesity blocks pro-longevity pathways.
7. Obesity accumulates pro-inflammatory cells. From there, these cells accelerate aging throughout our organisms.
8. DNA damage is among the main theories of aging. The literature suggests that obesity damages DNA. Also, it hinders its repair process.
9. Lastly, we have proteins. They’re critical to cell and tissue maintenance. Therefore, obesity’s protein maintenance disruption can speed up aging.

The correlations between obesity and aging

Additionally, obesity has several aging-related repercussions. That’s different from correlating effects. Instead, we’ll analyze how obesity and age influence adipocyte biology. In other words, let’s see how both influence energy storage.

1. Both obese and aging tissues experience inflammation. In both cases, insulin resistance changes.
2. As age and obesity progress, our bodies suppress adiponectin production. Adiponectin is responsible for glucose regulation, lipid metabolism, and more.
3. Age tends to induce leptin resistance. This makes it harder to regulate appetite.
4. Lean mass reduces as we age and gain weight alike.
5. P53 is a gene responsible for suppressing tumors. Aging and obesity increase its levels, thankfully.
6. Growth hormone secretion also decreases with age and weight.
7. Lastly, brown fat boosts our metabolism. Plus, its adiposity state interactions could also impact aging.

The holistic takeaway

Aging and obesity share a plethora of processes and conditions. Research points toward how close the two are. Thus, fighting obesity could improve the aging process. The result would be a longer lifespan and healthier aging.

If you want to battle both, I’d recommend Lean Belly Tea. This weight loss supplement helps you burn fat better. And, it can reduce aging’s effects on your skin. So, make sure you check it out!