Challengeing Oneself Intermittently:Healthy Lifestyle Challenges in Inflamm-Aging Management.
Humans and their ancestors evolved in environments where they were influenced intermittently by different acute stress factors :1) food scarcity (starvation mode); 2) the need for aerobic fitness to catch/kill prey and avoid or repel attackers(foraging mode and flight fight mode); 3) exposure to biological toxins present in foodstuffs(nutritional hormetins);4) exposure to extreme environmental temperature(cold/heat stress) and stress from altitude difference(Hypoxic stress).Accordingly, cells and organ systems acquired and retained molecular signaling and metabolic pathways through which the environmental challenges enhanced the functionality and resilience of the cells and organisms through a hormetic positive effect.The hormetic stress promotes an anti-inflammatory phenotype, thereby enhancing exercise salience, leading to greater biological fitness,metabolic flexibility and improved functional longevity. One general consequence of hormesis is upregulation of mitochondrial function and resistance to oxidative stress,inflammation, degenerative and metabolic diseases aging related.Within the past 60 years there has been a sudden diminution of such challenges in modern societies because of the development of technologies that provide a continuous supply of energy-dense processed foods and that largely eliminate the need for physical exertion(intelligence paradox). As a consequence of the modern 'couch potato' lifestyle, signaling pathways that mediate beneficial effects of environmental challenges on health and disease resistance are inhibited, thereby rendering people vulnerable to obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome,cardiovascular disease, cancers and dementia that are also named Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCD) which are the leading cause of mortality in developed countries. Chronic subclinical inflammation( LGI or low grade inflammation) is the common mechanism that characterizes these diseases and that binds them to the aging process(inflammaging); this is a largely lifestyle-induced disease group which enhances aging process decreasing life extension and promoting unsuccessfull aging. The result is a vicious cycle that increases oxidative stress,inflammation,reduces metabolic flexibility and perpetuates the disease state.We know today that CNCD are evitable through a correction of our life style attitudes.As proved in previous animal studies,new researches in humans, show that the use of intermittent challenges with hormetic actions improve subjective and objective wellbeing of individuals with CNCD, while having positive effects on immunological, metabolic and behavioural indices. Intermittent exposure to cold, heat,exercise,fasting and hypoxia, together with the reintroducion of phytochemicals in multiple food products and supplements into daily and weekly routines, have widespread influence on many pathways related with overall health,positive aging and longevity. We conclude that, whereas the total inflammatory load of multi-metabolic and environmental anthropogenic risk factors causes low grade inflammation,aging and aging related diseases, the use of intermittent challenges that exert their action through a multi integrated hormetic intervention, might act as a vaccine against the deleterious effects of chronic low grade inflammation on aging process and life expectancy.
