Besides the various well-known reasons, scientists have now proven that the "death hormone" continuously secreted by the organism itself can also lead to self-destruction.
Self-destruction is everywhere
In the biological world, the phenomenon of self-destruction is everywhere. After mating, the male moth dies immediately, and the female moth also dies after laying eggs. Some mayflies, which live from morning till night, have a lifespan of only a few hours. In the Pacific, there is a type of fierce octopus whose weight peaks before laying eggs. After laying eggs, it piously guards the egg pile. After a one-month incubation period, the octopus's weight decreases significantly, and it dies 10 days after the baby octopuses hatch.
Where does the death hormone come from?
The intensity and speed of self-destruction vary among different species. Biologists began to explore the source of self-destructive substances.
Please look at an octopus experiment: After the octopus lays eggs, one of its optic glands is immediately removed. Its postpartum lifespan is miraculously extended to the 91st day after laying eggs. Subsequently, biologists removed both optic glands of the octopus, and its lifespan was extended by more than 9 months. Some scholars had long believed that the octopus's optic gland is equivalent to the pituitary gland of mammals, controlling life programs such as reproductive function and feeding. This experiment shows that the optic gland is the "death gland" of the octopus. After laying eggs, the death gland begins to secrete a death hormone, causing it to self-destruct.
So, does the human pituitary gland continuously secrete a death hormone? Can removing it extend lifespan?
American scholars once experimentally confirmed this speculation. For example, normal rats were divided into two groups: one group of 95 normal rats of the same age, and another group of 125 normal rats of the same age. As a result, the lifespan of the group with pituitary gland removed was 12.5 times longer than that of the group without the pituitary gland removed; moreover, the 24-month-old elderly rats with pituitary gland removal showed signs of rejuvenation. Their immune and cardiovascular system functions returned to the level of young rats. The arteries of rats that had lost arterial relaxation response regained this response, and they regained the metabolic capacity and oxygen demand capacity of 3-month-old young rats.
Based on animal experiments, the medical community once partially removed the pituitary glands of diabetic patients. The patients' collagen fibers tended to become younger, and the originally thickened basement membranes of capillaries and small arteries thinned, increasing their elasticity. Not only was their motor vitality enhanced and hair regenerated, but the patients' retinopathy was also alleviated and their vision gradually recovered.
Ways to fight against the death hormone
Currently, physiologists and biochemists are striving to study the molecular structure and physiological effects of the death hormone in order to further find compounds that can antagonize its effects. So far, substances and methods that help fight against the death hormone have been discovered:
1. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). It is a hormone produced by the adrenal cortex with the following physiological functions: ① Antagonizing glucocorticoids. Scientists have obtained conclusive evidence from Pacific salmon that excessive secretion of glucocorticoids leads to aging and death, and they have classified glucocorticoids as one of the death hormones. ② Antagonizing growth hormone. Excessive growth hormone is also considered another death hormone. ③ Enhancing the body's immunity. Immune factors are natural substances that resist aging.
Currently, scholars from various countries are intensifying their research on dehydroepiandrosterone.
2. Dietary restriction. Studies have found that the effect of dietary restriction is very similar to that of removing the pituitary gland. Scientists once experimented with old hens, giving them only water and plants that have an anti-hunger effect. After two months of feeding, the old hens regrew new feathers where they had fallen off, and 81% of the old hens started laying eggs again.
The results of dietary restriction experiments on rats show that the lifespan of restricted rats was twice as long as that of unrestricted rats, and the rats that ate the most had the shortest lifespan.
Experts believe that dietary restriction can reduce the secretion of the death hormone by the pituitary gland and improve the ability of animal cells to use thyroid hormone, thereby achieving certain anti-aging effects. Dietary restriction can cause sodium ions in the body to be expelled from cells, allowing potassium ions to take their place. This physiological process also has an anti-aging effect. In addition, proper dieting can also enhance the function of the body's immune system. Therefore, experts advise people (especially the elderly) to eat moderately.