A very simple definition of aging would be something that happens to our body over a period. We all know that it happens or is happening to all of us but the minute nuisances of how and why it occurs still are not very well understood. Aging is nothing but the impact of time on bodily changes, and it can happen at different levels. Aging affects everyone in any age group and also affects every cell, tissue, and organ in the body.

Let us have a look at the various types of aging:

• Hormonal aging- Hormones are the chemical messengers of our body that coordinate many vital functions. These play an important role in ageing especially during the growth of a child and teenage years. Once we start getting older, hormonal changes in adults can lead to menopause and changes in the skin.
• Cellular changes- Cells are the structural and functional unit of life because these entities are the ones that perform all the vital functions as well as make up the structure of everything. A cell’s age can be determined by the number of times they have replicated or undergone cell division. The damage to cells during ageing is done by free radicals and after reproducing for a certain amount of times, the cells age.
• Metabolic ageing- Metabolism is the process by which the cells continually convert food into energy. Most of the by-products of metabolism are toxic and need to be eliminated if not can be harmful to the body.

What are the changes that start taking place in the body once the process of ageing begins? With age, the skin starts becoming thinner and loses its elasticity. The fatty tissue right below the skin also starts growing lesser. Since decreased oil production takes place once ageing sets in, skin becomes drier and shows the appearance of age spots and wrinkles. At one age, maintaining the ideal weight starts growing difficult. Muscle mass decreases and is replaced by fat.

The sense organs also start functioning less efficiently as one age. One becomes more sensitive to light, develops clouded vision or cataracts. Hearing high frequencies can also become difficult. As far as memory is concerned, it starts becoming less efficient and it takes longer to learn new things or remember things. Similarly, all the organ systems tend to get affected by old age.

One of the main reasons for ageing is excessive inflammation in the body. Curcumin is nature’s answer to fight the effects of ageing due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.