All Age-Related Changes May Not Be Inevitable: Senescent Cells and Anti-Aging

Mayo Clinic Talks

Guest: Nathan K. LeBrasseur, Ph.D., M.S. (@NKLeBRASSEUR)

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. (@ChutkaMD)

The effects of aging occur in all our organs. In muscles, there is a reduction in strength and stamina; the brain shows a decrease in cognitive function and the ability to learn new information. Aging causes a reduced ability of the liver to metabolize drugs and the kidney’s ability to eliminate various waste products. Our guest for this podcast is aging researcher Nathan K. LeBrasseur, Ph.D., M.S., the senior author of a study recently published in the journal “Aging Cell.” The authors described significant benefits from exercise on a cellular level which correlated with an improvement in physical changes related to aging. We’ll discuss cellular changes which occur with aging, the significance of senescent cells and how exercise can reduce the impact of aging on both a cellular level as well as clinically.

Specific topics:

• The effects of aging on a cellular level
• Variability in the rate of aging in individuals
• Function of senescent cells
• Effects of exercise on senescent cells
• Clinical correlations resulting from the elimination of senescent cells
• Recommendations clinicians can give their patients to reduce the effects of aging