Ageing is inevitable and as the years go by various functions of our body are bound to diminish leading to various diseases.
How nutrients are absorbed by our body also undergoes a change with time as the digestion process transforms. Be it our lung, kidney or heart function, their natural function gets affected as we age, putting us at risk of health issues in our old age.
The signs of ageing also reflect in your skin as it loses fat and becomes thin, uneven and saggy. While many of these processes are happening at physiological level, the environmental factors that speed up ageing cannot be ignored. There are certain things we all may be doing on a daily basis that is accelerating the ageing process without us realising. So, what all they could be? How we eat, drink, move could be playing a significant role in how are ageing.
Dr Sonali Kohli, Consultant Dermatologist and Venereologist at the Dermatology department of Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre tells us 4 everyday habits that are making us age faster.
Lifestyle becomes a very important factor when it comes to ageing. Now there are many contributing things in our lifestyle which includes our diet. What kind of diet we eat basically comprises of inflammatory or non-inflammatory elements. People who follow an inflammatory diet could face earlier cell death as cells are under the influence of an enzyme called telomerase, which is responsible for cellular aging.
1. INFLAMMATORY DIET
Lifestyle becomes a very important factor when it comes to ageing. Now there are many contributing things in our lifestyle which includes our diet. What kind of diet we eat basically comprises of inflammatory or non-inflammatory elements. People who follow an inflammatory diet could face earlier cell death as cells are under the influence of an enzyme called telomerase, which is responsible for cellular aging.
2. SMOKING AND ALCOHOL
Addictions like smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and poor diet choices all contribute to the addition of the stress and inflammation in our body. This also makes our body more acidic and less alkaline which also accelerates the aging process. It is important to eat a diet which is rich in antioxidants, which will act as an anti-aging mechanism. Foods which are rich in omega-3s like walnuts, shifting to healthy oils can all help with anti-aging.
3. NOT USING SUNSCREEN
There is a thing called solar damage which leads to solar ageing and it could happen to you if you are not regular with the use of a sunscreen. Research has shown that solar aging can actually accelerate the ageing process because it leads to immense collagen breakdown. It is essential to use a sunscreen with a high sun protection factor which is your SPF, but along with that your sunscreen should provide also PPD protection which is measured by our triple plus sign or other measurements.
4. NOT EXERCISING
Lastly, I would like to add that exercise becomes a very essential component of anti-aging. Exercise helps us to bring new muscle strength along with maintaining the tone and texture of the existing muscles.