Received June 6, 2013
Negative factors, such as the “magnificent” five that includes alcoholism, smoking, unhealthy food, lack of movement, and negative emotions, accompany a person almost from birth and trigger powerful internal biochemical reactions leading to disastrous consequences. Those new deleterious reactions force the organism to mobilize all of its internal reserves to neutralize, at least temporarily, the destructive effects of these negative factors. As a result of this continuous struggle for survival, body parts degenerate, starting from connective tissue protein molecules to entire newly formed organs (such as adipose tissue). Today we can state with certainty that the reason for the majority of widespread pathologies causing premature aging and death, such as atherosclerosis and arterial hypertension, is exactly those external negative factors that a person voluntary introduces into their life. However, the margin of safety that Nature enclosed in the human body is really amazing, allowing light-minded and self-destructive people to live up to 60 years and longer. It is quite possible that the lifespan will increase up to 100 years and more if a person stops destroying themself with negative emotions and bad habits, including unhealthy food and overeating. This article examines possible interconnection between unhealthy overeating and the theory of programmed aging and phenoptosis.
KEY WORDS: metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, obesity, lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, phenoptosis, programmed agingDOI: 10.1134/S0006297913090046