Aging

Aging is a phenomenon in which the body's physiological and psychological adaptability to the environment gradually decreases and tends to total loss. The hallmarks of aging include genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alteration, loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion and altered intercellular communication. Aging is an independent risk factor for many chronic disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases, malignant neoplasms and neurological diseases. In contrast, various diseases, genetic defects, poor lifestyle choices, environmental exposures, psychosocial stress and depression are known factors accelerating aging and thus could be intervention targets against aging and/or aging-related disorders.