Random Most Terrifying Things That Happen To Your Body As You Age (14 items)

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  (#1) You Can Develop Alzheimer's, Which Is On The Rise

  The Alzheimer's Association estimates that in 2050 there could be as many as 16 million Americans living with Alzheimer's. The brain disorder is an irreversible and progressive disease that slowly destroys your memory and thinking abilities. The symptoms worsen over time, and full-time assistance is needed even for the simplest of tasks during the late stages of the disease.

  There is no cure for Alzheimer's, and a slew of drugs meant to slow the progression of the disease failed their large clinical trails. Promising treatments are in development, but for now, many doctors advocate preventative action to avoid a deadly diagnosis. A healthy lifestyle including a balanced diet and exercise may help people with a genetic predisposition to the disease avoid or prolong the onset of Alzheimer's.

  There are also promising treatments on the horizon. Insulin resistance and inflammation, both associated with Alzheimer's, are the focus of many Alzheimer's studies today. Still, there is no cure, so it may be in your best interest to cultivate a healthy lifestyle to avoid Alzheimer's hardships in the future. 
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  (#2) Plaque Will Start Lining Your Arteries

  The plaque that forms in your arteries is way worse than the plaque that ends up on your teeth. As you get older, cholesterol causes plaque to line your arteries. As it builds up, your blood flow is increasingly reduced, which can lead to a blood clot that becomes a heart attack. 

  If you think you're immune to this problem, think again - plaque buildup is the leading cause of death in America. The bad news is, once you have plaque buildup, it's pretty difficult to get rid of; a diet reduced in cholesterol can help, but there are no guarantees.  

  Blood vessel lining can weaken due to certain risk factors, like a poor diet or smoking. This allows plaque to get in, slowly corroding your arteries. LDL (bad cholesterol) makes its way into the cracks of your arteries, much like a weed grows in a cracked sidewalk. Eventually, the weeds (LDL) take over, leading to full-blown cholesterol plague.

  The one positive here is plaque buildup and its management isn't out of your hands by any means. By leading a - you guessed it - healthy lifestyle involving exercise, proper diet, and a practice in moderation when it comes to alcohol and other vices, you can slow down plaque buildup. And if you're reading this thinking you are in the clear since you are so young, you're wrong; autopsies of adolescents have shown the beginnings of plaque. 
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  (#3) Your Bones Become Brittle

  Just as your skin sheds cells and generates new ones, your bones also have their own take on shedding and regeneration; in fact, your skeleton is replaced about once every decade. Your body absorbs old bone (that is, calcium and phosphate) and then generates new bone via the same minerals. 

  As you age, your body stops producing and regenerating at the same rate, which means you can develop osteoporosis. As estrogen in women and testosterone in men drop, the risk for bone loss rises. Alcohol use and smoking can also contribute to osteoporosis risk. Having a weak skeleton can lead to a slump in posture, achiness, and a greater risk of breaking bones.
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  (#4) Your Hearing Gradually Gets Worse

  Generally, your hearing ability starts to decrease midlife and gets worse as time goes on. A third of people between 65 and 75 have hearing problems; half of those over 75 do. As in the case with a lot about aging, we don't know exactly why hearing starts to fade as we age. Environmental factors could also influence hearing loss - both excessive noise pollution and free radicals have been cited as possible reasons behind hearing loss as we age. 

  As always, preventative measures are key when it comes to retaining your hearing. Wear earplugs when you are around loud noises (like a concert or construction), keep your headphone volume low, and get regular checkups to make sure everything is in working condition. 
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  (#5) Tumors Can Develop All Over Your Body

  Although the word "tumor' has doomsday connotations, not all tumors come with the Big C. Benign tumors in the form of less-than-adorable skin tags and lesions can pop up all over your skin as you age. 

  Even though they're usually benign, you still need to monitor them for changes, just like you would watch a mole for signs of skin cancer. Skin lesions can take many shapes, sizes, and colors; all of them affect the elderly more than they do younger adults. 
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  (#6) Men Experience Shrinkage And Curvature

  It's time for some real talk, guys. Your penis is going to change as you age, and there's nothing you can do about it. Everyone loses muscle mass as they age, and for a man's member, that means things are going to start drooping. Your pal is also going to get smaller... permanently. The cells in your Nether regions will start to be replaced by collagen, which is non-elastic. The lack of elasticity will slowly make your member smaller.

  As you age, you will also develop some curvature to your shaft. Years of trauma from things like sports and sexual activities lead to scar tissue, which will lead to a slight curve here and there. 

  More seriously, you can also get prostate or testicular cancer, meaning that self-exams and checks by your doctor become increasingly important. As always, early diagnosis is key. 
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  (#7) Menopausal Hormone Changes Can Lead To Diabetes, Lupus, And Rheumatoid Arthritis

  As if dealing with PMS, periods, and childbirth weren't enough, women also get to cope with menopause - and its ensuing side effects and risks. The hot flashes are not fun, and the reduced amount of estrogen present in a woman's body can cause a number of health problems down the road. Hormone changes can raise your risk for diabetes. Women who are past menopause have also shown increased risk for autoimmune conditions like upus and rheumatoid arthritis. 
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  (#8) Your Metabolism Really Does Slow Down

  You hear it from your teen years onwards - the warnings about the freshman 15, about appreciating your metabolism while you have it. Then come the warnings as you near 30: "You can't eat like you used to!" or, "The pounds just don't come off anymore!" 

  As much as we may want to scoff at those types of statements, they're unfortunately true. Your metabolism does indeed slow down as you age. Muscle mass decreases, and you naturally tend to be less active as you age. These factors, combined with the fact your metabolism itself does age naturally, don't bode well for your figure.

  However, endurance exercise can help keep your metabolism running smoothly as you age. Likewise, continuing to eat a balanced diet with enough protein will help you retain muscle. Retaining muscle may be the most important factor to keeping your metabolism as youthful as you can. 
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  (#9) You'll Lose Half Of Your Taste Buds By Age 60

  Somewhere between 40 and 50, your taste buds start disappearing or shrinking - meaning that by age 60, it will become hard to tell the difference tastes, such as sweet versus salty. When your sense of smell heads out the door around age 70, your sense of taste gets even worse as a result. Medical professionals don't know why this happens, so we don't know how to mitigate the problem. 

  Losing your sense of taste has longer-reaching effects than not being able to enjoy chocolate or wine anymore. For many, the loss of taste buds leads to a dwindling appetite, which can in turn lead to malnourishment and mineral deficiencies. Sometimes loss of taste and smell can also lead to depression. 
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  (#10) Your Skin Starts Sagging And Aging In Your 20s

  Turns out that your skin doesn't abruptly starting going downhill all at once. Though researchers once thought that skin aging began at 35, a study showed that cells change differently as you age. You don't notice, however, until all of the effects come together, which makes sense.

  These cell differences were divided into five processes. In your 20s, your skin decreases antioxidant production. This means it's crucial to use sunscreen much earlier, and that using antioxidants in your skin products becomes necessary much earlier as well.

  In your 30s, your skin cells don't create collagen, repair skin, or even absorb products as quickly as it used to. To help mitigate this, you can use products with B3, which has been shown to raise skin's bioenergy levels.  

  At 40, your complexion will visibly change. This process is called "senescence," and it looks different for everyone. By this age, it's important to use things like retinol to keep skin looking healthy. 
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  (#11) Some People Age Faster Than Others

  Have you ever thought about how people don't age at the same rate? For example, you may be 30 and in desperate need of Botox, but your friend still looks like she's in college. Why is that? 

  Until 2017, scientists didn't have a firm answer to that question. Researchers studied nematodes  (wormlike creatures with short lifespans) and determined the nematodes, like humans, also aged differently. Some, for example, lost locomotive skills; others kept moving well into old age. Scientists think that how we age - that is, how quickly or slowly we age and how our quality of life differs from one person to the other - is because new genes are appearing as species change, as in the case with the nematodes. Ultimately, this means aging is an evolutionary process. 
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  (#12) There Are Cosmetic Treatments To Reverse The Appearance Of Aging

  For those of you who want to look as if your body is not going through the process of aging, there are quite a few cosmetic procedures to consider. The cosmetic procedures of today - and the ones that will be available in the near future - are more promising than ever to deliver lasting, natural results. 

  Cellifque, a new collagen product, can not only fill tear troughs and lines around the lips but also the small lines that show up underneath your eyes. Most doctors won't inject fillers into those tiny lines due to a bizarre blue-tinted skin side effect caused by most fillers. Cellifque could change that when it comes stateside in 2020. New lasers are also being developed that can help with hyperpigmentation, removing the need to have multiple painful sessions. 

  Kybella, another new injectable, sounds like a sci-fi miracle drug - it dissolves fat cells underneath your chin. That means that you can kiss your double chin goodbue without liposuction. Kybella is a manufactured version of an acid that's already present in your body used to dissolve the fat. 

  This is by no means an exhaustive list of age-defying cosmetic procedures available on the market. If you are opting to go under the knife or needle, be sure to do your research and work with a reputable doctor. 
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  (#13) There Are Ways To Slow Down The Aging Process

  Though we've been told that the fountain of youth doesn't exist, that may be changing. A study has proven that aging can indeed reverse at the cellular level. How? The answer shouldn't come as a surprise:  eat better, meditate more, sleep more, and spend time with the people you love. Those simple things that we all know to do could add ten years to your life. 

  Researchers looked at the caps on chromosomes to judge the aging process. As we age, those caps get shorter, which is a bad thing. Shorter caps mean that your chances of dying early go up; not only does age shorten them, but so can stress.

  This study took a group of men who had prostate cancer - that is, men whose caps are shorter - and told the men to eat healthier diets, exercise more, meditate, and attend a support group. In three months, the caps had regenerated 10%. 
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  (#14) As You Age, You Will Probably Become Happier

  Yeah, wrinkles and a slowly deteriorating body aren't much fun, but aging isn't all bad news. Research has shown that plenty of things actually get better with age. Studies show that you're happiest as a kid and then again in your 70s and 80s. We don't know why exactly this is, but it could be that by that age, we've learned how to cope with things emotionally and socially in healthy ways. People over the age of 65 tend to be less stressed than younger folks, which can also lead to an increase in happiness. 

  Even though we all have stress throughout life, it's nice to know that life will at least become less stressful than it is in our 20s and 30s. 

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