Ageing, refers to the changes that occur within a human body, due to internal and external elements. External elements refer to stress, pollution etc whereas internal elements refer largely to the role played by cells and hormones in ageing. Science has conducted much research to understand the internal elements that play a role in ageing leading to the establishment of many theories. One such theory is the Free Radical Theory of ageing.
The Free Radical Theory of ageing by Denham Harman states that all organisms age because of the accumulation of free radical damage with time. Radicals , in scientific terms, are atoms, molecules or ions, which have electrons that are not part of a pair. Such electrons tend to be reactive in nature. Radicals are important in many chemical processes that take place in the cells, also making them areas of free radical damage. The goal of the Free Radical Theory was to slow ageing and increase lifespan. Experiments were successfully conducted on rats by cutting down their food intake while allowing other rats to eat freely. It was found that the rats that ate lesser, had a 50% increase in the maximum lifespan as compared to the other rats. Studies showed that intake of antioxidants such as vitamin E and C did snot actually increase maximum lifespan at all.
The Free Radical Theory of ageing is considered impractical today. However, it helped in showing the role of free radical damage in diseases such as cancer, arthritis, diabetes and Alzheimers. |
