---------- From: Erik Reuter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I wonder if their might be a built in mechanism in the body something like a "metabolic clock" ticking along. You only get X ticks of the metabolic clock. If you slow your metabolism down, your metabolic clock ticks more slowly and you live longer (all on average, of course).
--- They are called telomeres. They are on the ends of chromosomes. Every time a cell divides they shorten. When they get very short, the cell dies. The probable reason for this is because of cancer (really old cells that have divided a lot are more prone to chromosome damage, and have collected a lot more toxins / chemicals that can't be broken down or eliminated by the cell which will tend to lead to cancer). Also there is a certain amount of redundancy in all your various organs. Over time this redundancy gets used as damage accumulates until organ failure occurs. Also their is a limited supply of adult stem cells that repair damage in various ways. They are limited by telomeres, and when they are used up damage accrues. I posted a link last month that showed a link between adult stem cells and heart disease. So the idea is to not deplete the stores of adult stem cells, and to not cause unnecessary damage to cells from free radicals.
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