By Beth Bennett (MBio'83, PhD'86)
(Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 302 pages; 2021)
Shows why and how the body deteriorates as life goes on and offers an easy-read overview of new solutions coming out of current studies of aging.
Wrinkles and gray hairs and misplaced keys—the obvious signs of getting older. Surprisingly, all of the miniscule events in our cells and organs that are responsible for aging begin their deterioration in our third decade. This book explains what is going on inside cells and organs that result in the outward appearances of aging. Readers will discover what causes skin to sag, hair to turn gray, blood vessels to stiffen, and other, mostly unwelcome events. Finally, and probably most importantly, the reader will be introduced to what can be done to stop or reverse this process. Beth Bennett provides an easy-to-read introduction to the science of aging: why and how the body deteriorates. She uses real world analogies to explain the chemical and cellular processes taking place in the body, along with newly-discovered solutions emerging from basic research labs.
Bennett explores the effects of aging in body systems that are important to all of us as we age: skin, muscle, bone, heart, and brain. In each of these body components, Bennett connects novel, science-based interventions with lifestyle modifications that improve and extend health, as opposed to simply lengthening life.
