Which organs shrink as people age?

When people get old, they are like dehydrated vegetables, with wrinkled skin, a body that is no longer straight, and even their faces are smaller than they were 20 years ago. In fact, the "atrophy" of the human body goes far beyond this.

The heart shrinks by 0.3 grams each year.

A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University in the United States on people aged between 45 and 85 found that the heart muscles of middle-aged people shrink by an average of 0.3 grams each year, which directly affects the heart's blood supply capacity. With every year of age, the heart rate increases by 2%-5% and the total blood supply decreases by 9 ml. Graham Jackson, a cardiologist at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London, pointed out that heart atrophy makes people susceptible to high blood pressure as they age and may also lead to other serious problems such as anemia.

Maintenance tips: Experts believe that when exercising, a person's heart rate increases and myocardial contraction strengthens, which can make the heart muscle stronger. Experts point out that the best way to exercise the heart is to do daily activities such as walking and doing housework. Walking for 40 minutes a day, 5 times a week is enough. Experts especially remind that heart rate is an important criterion for judging whether the myocardium is strengthened, and the appropriate aerobic exercise heart rate should not exceed 170.

The brain shrinks by 15% during life.

When a person is born, the brain weighs about 400 grams and grows to about 1.4 kilograms during puberty. But starting from the age of 20, it begins to shrink gradually, shrinking by about 10%-15% during a lifetime. The study found that the parts of the brain that shrank the most were the frontal and temporal lobes, which control thinking, planning and memory. Modern medicine speculates that it may be due to the accumulation of toxins in the brain, or the normal regeneration and death of brain cells that causes it to become smaller and smaller.

Maintenance rules: To protect the brain, you must keep the cerebral blood vessels open and avoid hardening and stenosis. Experts say that it is best to eat a light diet and avoid bad cervical posture. You can also eat more acidic foods or take aspirin to prevent platelets from aggregating and clogging blood vessels. Furthermore, emotions have a greater impact on the brain than food. Some people who engage in artistic work such as singing have brains that are obviously younger than their peers, and their gyri are well developed, even when they are 80 years old. This may be related to the fact that they can vent their negative emotions through singing. However, people who are usually anxious and depressed will have their brains shrink and age prematurely.

The spine starts to atrophy at the age of 35.

Statistics show that after the age of 40, most people's height decreases by about 1 cm every 10 years; at the age of 80, men's height is generally 5 cm shorter than when they were young, while women's height decreases by about 8 cm. This is primarily due to spinal atrophy. Starting from the age of 35, as the bone metabolism capacity decreases and calcium and other minerals are slowly lost, the spine begins to atrophy. But men have strong muscles to support their body, while women's estrogen levels, which protect their bones, drop rapidly during menopause, causing more spinal atrophy. Secondly, becoming shorter is also related to the long-term compression of the intervertebral discs by the human body. The intervertebral disc contains up to 88% water, and the water content will decrease with age, causing people to become shorter irreversibly.

Maintenance tips: Experts point out that in addition to supplementing calcium and vitamin D, reducing smoking, alcoholism and excessive caffeine intake (drinking more than eight cups of coffee or tea a day), Israeli research also found that people who regularly engage in aerobic exercise have half the degree of height shrinkage. Experts remind that correct posture is the key to delaying the aging and atrophy of intervertebral discs. The best standing posture is at ease, which helps relax the spinal muscles; when sitting in front of a computer or desk, keep the thighs and knees at 90 degrees, the thighs and waist at 90 degrees, and the cervical spine in a neutral position, neither too low nor too high; when driving, put a small cushion behind the cervical and lumbar vertebrae to maintain their physiological curvature.

The sexual organs are reduced by 2-3 cm.

"If a man's erect penis is about 15 centimeters long at the age of 30, it will be reduced to about 12-13 centimeters when he is 60 or 70 years old." Experts explain that this is mainly because fatty substances accumulate in the penile arterioles, causing the penile muscle tissue to atrophy. In addition, the testicles begin to shrink at the age of 40, and by the age of 60, they are like two shriveled balls with a diameter reduced by more than 1 cm. A woman's uterus will also shrink after menopause, returning to its undeveloped size in teenage years and slowly stop functioning. This is caused by a decrease in estrogen, which leads to less blood flow to the sex organs.

Maintenance tips: Experts say that appropriately increasing the frequency of sexual life can improve blood flow and oxygen supply to the sexual organs. In addition, eat more low-fat and vasodilating foods such as ginkgo, onions, carrots, etc. to prevent fat accumulation.

The mandibular bone is most susceptible to atrophy in the face.

People often think that a face changes from youthful fullness to wrinkles and sunken cheeks because of loss of muscle tone and the pull of gravity, but in fact it is due to atrophy of the facial bones. The mandible is the part of the face that is most prone to atrophy. From the moment you get old enough to lose your first tooth, the mandible that supports it begins to atrophy. Women's facial bones generally begin to age in their early 40s, while men's facial bones begin to age between the ages of 50 and 55.

Maintenance rules: Protecting your teeth and reducing tooth decay and tooth loss are the most important things. Among them, it is best to brush your teeth as many times as you eat meals every day, brush within 5 minutes after a meal, and persist for about 3 minutes each time.

Bladder capacity reduced by half.

At age 25, people's bladders can hold an average of two cups of fluid; at age 65, they can hold only half that.

Maintenance tips: Do not consume excessive caffeine or alcohol, and do pelvic floor muscle exercises every day to improve bladder control. Try to tighten and lift the vagina and anus, and find the feeling of "interrupting urine flow when urinating". Do it for 8-10 seconds each time, 10 times as a set, and practice 10 sets several times a day.

Thymus atrophy reduces immunity. Why are people more prone to illness as they age? Experts explain that this is because the thymus gland in the human body, which produces infection-resistant cells, is constantly shrinking. The thymus is a very small organ above the heart. It is the size of an apple in childhood, but begins to shrink during puberty and becomes the size of a small stone in adulthood. Its atrophy leads to a decline in the body's immune system, making the elderly more susceptible to cancer.

Maintenance tips: Eat more low-calorie foods. In addition, it is best to massage the thymus with a hollow fist in one hand every day.