Remaining energetic and healthy is generally a goal for seniors. In this article, we will look at one of the factors that cause accelerated aging — senescent cells. Damaged cells cause visible signs of aging: liver spots, gray hair, and wrinkles. Disease, injury, and other stress factors harm cells throughout our body. Increased free radical activity contributes to accelerated aging.
Ideally, the damaged cells are removed by our immune system through a process called apoptosis. Damaged cells die, are eliminated, and are replaced by new cells. About 1% of all of our cells are replaced daily — billions of cells.1
Two-thirds of our body is comprised of cells. The rest is fluid (such as plasma), and calcium bone structure that exists outside of cells. Roughly 72% of the cells are fat and muscle cells (which live 12 to 50 years), and the rest are in our blood (which live 3 to 120 days), and lining our gut (which live less than a week).2