If you lost a grandparent or older relative as a kid, you almost certainly asked your parents something to this effect. It’s a pretty tricky one to answer, and not just because of the upsetting subject matter.
Science has got a pretty good grip on how we age, but we’re still not 100% sure why it happens in the first place.
The simple answer is that every time you cells divide in order to regenerate and repair your body, the DNA in them suffers a little bit of damage known as telomere shortening. When the cells with the damaged DNA divide, they pass on that damage and a new bit of damage to the new cells and so on. The effects accumulate over time and manifest in the form of wrinkly skin, grey hair and weakened immune system.
This damage can also lead to degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. When a cell become extremely damaged, it switches itself off completely before it can do some serious damage. When it fails to do this is generally what causes many cancers.
People don’t actually die of “old age” as such, but the diseases that result from the extreme degeneration of their cells. This is often cancer, but also heart attack, liver disease, neurological disorders or a combination of many factors that just make all the wheels drop off at once.
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