Answered questions
Cells & DNA
65 answered questions · 465 studies
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What do mitochondrial mutations mean for how quickly you age?
Mitochondrial mutations and dysfunction likely contribute to faster biological ageing. You cannot control the accumulation of…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Can you repair DNA damage, or can you only prevent it?
Your body actively repairs DNA damage through multiple well-studied mechanisms, but that repair is not always perfect and…
Yes · Strong evidence
What exactly does senescence do to your cells as you age?
Senescent cells stop dividing, accumulate with age and cause damage throughout the body through a constant stream of…
Yes · Strong evidence
Can epigenetic reprogramming reverse ageing?
Epigenetic reprogramming consistently and convincingly rejuvenates cells and tissues in animal and laboratory research, but no…
Preliminary evidence
Do senolytics already work in humans, or only in mice so far?
Senolytics no longer work only in mice: there is now first concrete evidence in humans, but the studies are small and lack…
Preliminary evidence
Does gene therapy with klotho or follistatin work against ageing?
Gene therapy with Klotho shows promising results in mice and cells, but there are no human clinical data yet. The available…
Preliminary evidence
Does sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts work against ageing?
Sulforaphane has impressive effects on ageing processes in laboratory and animal research, but whether this also holds true in…
Preliminary evidence
Does fasting help your cells clean themselves up?
Fasting demonstrably increases the self-cleaning function of your cells, but watch out for muscle breakdown during prolonged…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does chronic inflammation accelerate the ageing of your cells?
Chronic inflammation demonstrably accelerates cellular ageing through a negative spiral that is difficult to break. The best…
Why do some cells stop dividing as you age?
Cells stop dividing as a protection against damage and cancer, but the accumulation of such stopped cells contributes over the…
What do zombie cells do to your ageing?
Zombie cells accumulate as you age and accelerate ageing through inflammatory signals; how to tackle them is promising but…
Can an epigenetic age test really tell you how old your body is?
An epigenetic age test provides a meaningful indication of biological ageing, but is not yet a definitive verdict on your…
Moderate evidence
What does a vitamin D deficiency do to your DNA?
A vitamin D deficiency is associated with greater DNA damage, especially in people with an additional risk factor. Make sure…
What is the relationship between cancer and senescent cells?
Senescent cells initially protect against cancer, but when they accumulate they can actually promote tumour growth through…
What are the hallmarks of aging, exactly?
Aging follows nine recurring biological patterns, from telomere shortening to disrupted cell communication, which together…
Why do cells lose their ability to repair themselves over time?
Cells lose their repair capacity through a combination of declining energy stores, impaired DNA repair and the accumulation of…
What does caffeine do to your cells and their repair process?
Caffeine disrupts the guardians and repair mechanisms of DNA damage in cells, but what this means for ordinary daily coffee…
Can eating too little actually damage your cells?
Eating moderately less does not damage your cells - it actually protects them through a cellular clean-up mechanism. However,…
Moderate evidence
Why do damaged cells sometimes continue to divide instead of eliminating themselves?
Damaged cells escape elimination through multiple, well-documented mechanisms. Understanding these mechanisms is valuable…
Does dehydration make your cells age faster?
There are biologically plausible indications that dehydration harms cells, but whether simply not drinking enough accelerates…
What is the difference between cell division and cellular ageing?
Cell division and cellular ageing are two sides of the same biological story: every division costs a small piece of telomere,…
Can certain fungi or bacteria in your gut influence your cellular ageing?
Certain gut bacteria produce substances that accelerate cellular ageing, while a diverse microbiome rich in fibre-fermenting…
Can meditation do anything about ageing at the cellular level?
There are cautious indications that meditation favourably influences the activity of the telomere-repairing enzyme, but…
Preliminary evidence
Does red light therapy really have an effect on your cells?
Red light therapy has a biologically plausible effect on cells, but whether that is clinically relevant in your body has not…
How does air pollution damage your cells from the inside?
Air pollution damages your cells from the inside through oxidative stress: fine particulate matter causes an excess of harmful…
What is apoptosis and why is it beneficial for cells to clean themselves up?
Apoptosis is an indispensable clean-up mechanism that keeps your body healthy, but balance is everything: too little increases…
Why do damaged proteins accumulate in your cells as you age?
As you age, several systems that clear away damaged proteins weaken simultaneously and amplify each other's failure. This is…
What does alcohol do to your cells and DNA in the long term?
Prolonged alcohol use damages cells and DNA in multiple ways simultaneously, from oxidative stress in the liver to broken DNA…
Can diet protect your DNA from damage?
Diet has a real effect on DNA protection: a plant-based eating pattern and adequate folate and selenium demonstrably help,…
Yes · Moderate evidence
What is the role of inflammation in cellular ageing?
Inflammation and cellular senescence reinforce each other in two vicious cycles, leading to tissue damage and age-related…
Does resveratrol really help protect cells against ageing?
Resveratrol protects cells impressively in the lab, but whether that also works in practice for you is uncertain: the body…
Preliminary evidence
What are senescent cells and why are they bad for you?
Senescent cells are damaged cells that stop dividing but continue to live and chronically inflame their surroundings. They…
What does chronic stress do to your DNA?
Chronic stress accelerates the wear of your DNA protectors (telomeres) in a way that corresponds to years of extra cellular…
Why are cells damaged when you don't get enough oxygen?
Oxygen deprivation damages cells through a chain of mechanisms: energy deficit, overstimulation of nerve cells, and an assault…
What is glycation and how does sugar damage your cells from the inside?
Sugar damages your cells through a chain of chemical reactions that affect proteins, power plants, and small blood vessels.…
Can fasting really rejuvenate your cells?
Fasting has clear cell-rejuvenating effects in animal research, but in humans the evidence is still limited to small studies…
Preliminary evidence
What is the Horvath clock and why is it so well known?
The Horvath clock was the first biological age measure that worked broadly across virtually all tissues, and that is what…
Can smoking permanently damage your DNA?
Smoking damages your DNA in multiple ways simultaneously and leaves recognisable mutation patterns in at least 17 types of…
What are free radicals and what do they do to your cells?
Free radicals are unavoidable by-products of your metabolism that are useful in small amounts but, in excess, damage DNA,…
How does a cell know when to stop dividing?
Cells stop dividing through built-in emergency brakes that respond to damage, stress, or viruses. This system is protective in…
Does caloric restriction actually make your cells younger?
Caloric restriction slows ageing processes in cells, but whether your cells actually become younger as a result has not yet…
Can DNA damage in your cells repair itself?
Your cells repair DNA damage constantly and on a large scale, but this capacity is not unlimited: complex or repeated damage…
What does autophagy do for ageing and disease?
Autophagy is a genuine part of the ageing process and plays a role in many age-related diseases, but the translation into…
Can you measure autophagy in your body?
There is no reliable, simple method yet for measuring autophagy in your body. Scientists use combinations of indirect markers,…
Does exercise activate autophagy?
Exercise activates autophagy in muscle cells through well-described mechanisms, but most of the evidence comes from animal and…
Yes · Moderate evidence
How do telomeres protect your DNA?
Telomeres protect your chromosome ends through a system of proteins that simultaneously prevents false alarms and harmful…
What does telomerase do to the length of your telomeres?
Telomerase keeps telomeres intact for longer by compensating for shortening during cell division, but in most body cells the…
Why do your telomeres get shorter as you age?
Telomere shortening is part of life: every cell division costs a piece. But smoking, chronic stress, and sleep deprivation…
What is hormesis (what doesn't kill you makes you stronger)?
Hormesis is a well-described biological principle: a low dose of stress can make your cells more resilient, provided the dose…
Do sirtuins actually do anything against ageing?
Sirtuins play a clear role in ageing in animal research, but whether they are of any benefit to humans (through supplements or…
Preliminary evidence
What is mTOR and why does it matter in ageing?
Inhibiting mTOR strongly extends lifespan in mice, but whether you can achieve that as a human through drugs or diet has not…
What does insulin do to the ageing process?
Chronically too much insulin is probably bad for healthy ageing, but science does not yet know precisely what the ideal…
Does fisetin from strawberries really work as a zombie-cell cleaner?
Fisetin demonstrably clears zombie cells in lab and mouse research, but whether this also works in humans and is safe has not…
Preliminary evidence
Can you have your telomeres measured, and is there any value in doing so?
A telomere test is technically possible but currently provides little actionable information for you as an individual, because…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Do I inherit my life expectancy from my parents?
Genetics explains roughly one third of how long you live, so your parents give you a biological starting point, not a…
What are mitochondria, and can you make them younger or more energetic?
Regular exercise is by far the best-supported means of keeping mitochondria healthy; NAD+ supplements sound appealing but have…
Yes · Strong evidence
Can you counteract DNA damage from ageing through your lifestyle?
Quitting smoking, exercising regularly and eating plenty of vegetables demonstrably reduce DNA damage; antioxidant supplements…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does clearing senescent cells with senolytics help against ageing?
Senolytics show impressive results in mouse studies, but in humans the evidence is too thin for use outside clinical trials.…
Preliminary evidence
Do my stem cells run out as I get older?
Your stem cells do gradually decline in number and function, affecting muscle repair, brain function and other tissues. There…
What is epigenetics and can you influence your genes?
Epigenetics determines which genes are active and is in principle open to influence. In medicine, epigenetic mechanisms are…
Yes · Strong evidence
What is oxidative stress and how serious is it really?
Oxidative stress is a real biological process that causes damage to cells and contributes to ageing, but how large a role it…
Can you clear out "zombie cells" to slow down ageing?
In animal research, clearing zombie cells is impressively effective, but in humans the evidence is still very preliminary.…
Preliminary evidence
What are "zombie cells" and how do you get rid of them?
Zombie cells clearly play a role in ageing, but no proven treatment yet exists for humans. Keep an eye on the field, but for…
Yes · Strong evidence
What is autophagy and can I activate it myself?
You can promote autophagy yourself through fasting or temporarily eating significantly less, and probably through exercise as…
Yes · Strong evidence
Can you tell from your DNA which diseases you are at greater risk of, and how is that measured?
Your DNA and certain proteins in your blood provide a useful picture of your predisposition to heart disease and other common…
Yes · Strong evidence