Nutrition and aging

Genetic and environmental factors influence the process of aging. Longevity is extraordinarily constant along species and there are several gens that regulate it. Special consideration deserve apoprotein E alleles, specially allele eee4 that is associated with development of Alzheimer disease, ather osclerosis and a shorter life. However environmental influences on longevit y are of utmost importance. In rats, mice and non human primates, caloric r estriction prolog life and retards the appearance of several conditions ass ociated with aging. This effect of caloric restriction is probably due main ly to a reduction in the generation of primary and secondary reactive oxyge n species. Noteworthy is the reduction of DNA oxidative damage and the cons equent reduction in transcriptional defects. Telomeres, special structures located in the extremes of chromosomes, are specially susceptible to oxidat ive damage. This structures have been postulated to act as biological clos of cells, since their progressive shortening is a signal to sop replication . In humans, telomeres shorten throughout life and in some diseases associa ted with premature aging such as trisomy 21 and Werner syndrome, the loss o f telomeric bases occurs at a higher rate. The knowledge about environmenta l influences on again will allow us to increase our life span and to reduce the disabilities associated with aging.