E-Paper
On mission unravelling mechanism of ageing
A DEDICATED group of researchers under Dr SI Rizvi in the Biochemistry Department of Allahabad University (AU) is busy in unravelling the mechanism of ageing in humans.
A DEDICATED group of researchers under Dr SI Rizvi in the Biochemistry Department of Allahabad University (AU) is busy in unravelling the mechanism of ageing in humans.
Thanks to some breakthroughs, Dr Rizvi is now all set to present the findings of his team at the 5th European Congress of Biogerontology to be held in Istanbul in Turkey between September 16-20.
Talking to HT Allahabad Live, Dr Rizvi said that questions like why do we age has always baffled humans and there has been a continuous effort to understand the mechanism of ageing. "Ageing is characterised by a progressive physiological deterioration with time leading to an impairment of the homeostasis.
There are more than 300 theories which attempt to explain the phenomenon of ageing.
Among the most widely accepted is the Free Radical Theory of Ageing which is based on the deleterious effects of free radicals which are produced in the body," he said.
About his University Grants Commission funded research, Dr Rizvi said that the study on ageing is aimed not to increase the human life span but to increase the span of healthy life.
"The predicted world population for 2050 is 9.3 billion, the Indian Population would be 1.63 billion.
Out of this population a large percentage will be people above the age of 60 years. Sincere efforts are needed to help the elderly age gracefully and enjoy a healthy life," he said.
His research group, Dr Rizvi said, has established that as humans age, their antioxidant defence mechanism, the ability to combat the deleterious effects of free radicals decreases.
This decrease in antioxidant defence is more than what has been reported for European or American Population.
Dr Rizvi explained this observation on faulty diet habits in urban Indian population. Antioxidant compounds are mainly present in fresh vegetables, fruits and other plant products. Green tea is a very good source of antioxidants and Dr Rizvi's group is studying the anti-ageing effects of green tea.
