Ageotypes explain why there are people who reach advanced ages in a better physical and mental state. After all, aging also depends on some variables that we can improve. Do you want to discover them?

How are you aging? The question may scare and even annoy. However, few processes are more natural in the human being than aging, and in this the ageotypes have great relevance. This term refers to the way in which each person faces the passage of time. Because if there is something that most of us know, it is that there are plenty of people who do it really well.

There are men and women who live, for example, their sixties with unparalleled vitality and attractiveness. Not only do they maintain their energy, but their bodies barely show any decline and their faces maintain an enviable freshness. On the other hand, there are those who reach fifty with early withering skin and physical ailments that begin to limit their performance.

There is something that goes beyond the simple biological clock and that defines aging. Understanding what the ageotypes consist of allows us to continue celebrating our birthdays with the energy and well-being that we all deserve . After all, we will all reach that third stage of life at some point, but doing it in the best possible way is certainly a great incentive.

“Don’t hide behind your age, that’s how you get old.”

-Carmen Martín Gaite-

What are ageotypes?

Ageotypes define the way each individual ages. In other words, each person has, so to speak, unique factors that can go to their benefit or against them when it comes to coping with the passage of time. And that has always been a mystery to science.

Because one thing is chronological age and another is biological age. We could say that the secret is in the genetics of each one. However, there is something more complicated as well as fascinating. For example, a study published in the journal Nature highlights that there are different ageotypes and that each one of us would be within one of those typologies.

In this research, a sample of people between 29 and 75 years of age was followed up for decades. Clearly, there are known molecular patterns that mediate good and bad aging . However, there are other variables that are being analyzed and that would fall within those distinctive ageotypes or patterns that mediate a better way of dealing with each decade added to our level of life.

There are four types of ageotypes: metabolic, immunological, hepatic, and nephrotic. These elements will allow us in the future to create more personalized drugs for each individual.

The four profiles of aging in humans

The science of ageotypes is still in its infancy. In the near future, we hope to have studies that allow us to understand this concept a little better. What seems undeniable is that we are beginning to understand the mechanisms that promote healthy ageing. So much so that we already know the four profiles of ageotypes in humans.

That is, what these typologies reveal to us are markers that mediate our physical and mental decline. Attending or taking care of these dimensions would favor our well-being:

• The immune ageotype. There are people with a weaker immune response, which can intensify from inflammatory processes to a worse response to diseases.
• The metabolic ageotype. A key element that mediates aging has to do with the way we regulate hormones or glucose. In fact, something that is being seen is how more and more people suffer from type 2 diabetes appear. It is an obvious sign that our lifestyles are not correct.
• Nephritic ageotypes. In this case, maintaining good kidney health is essential for infinite processes in our body. They eliminate waste, maintain a correct balance between salts, water and minerals, etc.
• The hepatic ageotype. Poor liver function is a risk to health and well-being. Maintaining a healthy diet is essential to care for this crucial organ.

Aging is a complex process in which multiple factors mediate, from genetic to molecular and also our lifestyle.

The medicine of the future: personalized treatments for each one of us

The human being begins to age from the day he comes into the world. Our normal biological development inevitably tends towards that stage dominated by physical and mental decline. Many of these modifications cannot be avoided, such as loss of skin elasticity, the appearance of wrinkles and gray hair, loss of visual and hearing acuity, etc.

Added to this is the probability of suffering from more diseases. Therefore, we are clear that for the moment we will all travel this path. However, one objective of science is to slow down the appearance of these processes and give us a better quality of life, given that our longevity is increasing. We want to live longer, but in good condition. That is the object and the ageotypes can help us.

How? In the first place, the four aforementioned ageotypes are the factors that mediate many of our diseases and premature aging. Each of us can present problems in one or more ageotypes. In the future, it is hoped to develop personalized drugs for each individual, and thus mediate these possible metabolic, immune, liver or kidney problems.

Likewise, there is another factor that we cannot ignore. Beyond the biological and molecular plane, there is the psychological one . Mental health is an essential factor that must accompany us to mediate good aging . Therefore, we have a great challenge so that in the coming decades we all reach that third youth of life in the best conditions.