The topic of health has rarely been as present as it has been in the last two years. The pandemic has made us accustomed to always critically questioning our state of health. Is the scratchy throat just due to the cold winter air or an infection? How can we assess whether we are healthy? And what does health even mean?
In general, health is considered to be the absence of disease. Healthy is therefore someone who is not sick. But can the state of health also be measured or defined? What characteristics must a body have in order to be considered healthy? Scientists Carlos López-Otin and Guido Kroemer are dealing with this question. In order to get to the bottom of the topic of health and its characteristics, they analyzed more than 200 scientific publications. In order to clearly diagnose a disease, symptoms or other markers that are the cause of the disease are examined. The scientists are trying to use a similar principle To define characteristics that diagnose health (Hallmarks of Health)Comparable to the causes of disease and symptoms, these health characteristics - so-called hallmarks - should not only be signs of health, but also represent the cause of healthy body functions. In contrast, the hallmarks of aging were defined as characteristics of aging.
What criteria should a “health feature” meet?
A Hallmark of Health is primarily intended to represent healthy body functions. Furthermore, a disorder or dysfunction of the hallmark results in a state of illness - both in the human body and under experimental conditions in the laboratory. If the hallmark's function is restored, this should lead to an improvement in health. A simplified example is our intestinal flora: it makes a major contribution to healthy digestion. However, if the intestinal flora is disturbed or changed, this can lead to digestive problems and pain. If they are brought back to a normal state, digestion calms down and the intestinal flora can be described as healthy.
According to these characteristics 8 Hallmarks of Health definedThese are briefly explained here and discussed in more detail in further articles.
1. Intact barriers
The body divides many different “rooms” – so-called compartments – with their own functions, including the intestines. These compartments are separated from each other so that the respective processes function optimally in all areas and do not influence or interfere with each other. In the so-called leaky gut syndrome Substances from the small intestine that should actually be excreted enter the bloodstream. There, the immune system must fight the harmful substances, which leads to tiredness, fatigue and reduced overall immunity.
Our skin also forms a barrier that protects us from external influences. In addition to these macroscopic examples, there are many other compartments that are separated from one another. Be it the separation of cell to cell by cell membranes, the separation of individual organelles within the cell or the protection of our genetic material in the cell nucleus by the cell nucleus membrane. At all levels, intact barriers contribute to the healthy functionality of our body.
2. Limit errors
Let us consider the body as a large machine consisting of many individual processes. Due to the many individual processes, errors can sometimes creep in, which are passed on and can lead to larger errors on a larger level – similar to the Chinese whispers gameIn order to prevent these errors on a larger scale, intermediate steps are required at all levels that check the processes again and again. If an error is discovered, it can be removed early and thus prevented from spreading to the entire system - in the best case scenario.
3. Recycling and renewal
Although some mechanisms in the body detect and remove errors and malfunctions early on, errors still creep in, such as incorrectly assembled proteins. In order to keep the number of errors as low as possible, the body constantly recycles almost all components and cells. Molecules are broken down, broken down into their individual components and rebuilt. For example, our skin renews itself at regular intervals to continually offer us good protection against environmental influences.
4. Integration of Circuits
In order for our organism to function with all its individual subunits, processes are controlled by circuits. There are large circuits, for example the feedback from the stomach to the brain that it is full and we are therefore full. But smaller circuits between individual cells or within cells also regulate different processes, such as the production of molecules. The end of a production process tells the beginning of the chain that no new cell components are needed and production can be stopped - this is also called a feedback loop. In the simplest case, the end product of such a process inhibits the enzyme that carries out the first step. The many different circuits communicate using hormones, growth factors, antibodies and electrical signals.
5. Rhythmic oscillations
Oscillations are regular vibrations. The body functions and changes different processes based on different rhythmic oscillations. Shorter (ultradian), circadian (about one day) and longer (infradian) rhythms. Ultradian rhythms last less than 24 hours, and include the heartbeat, for example. Circadian rhythms include cell division and the sleep rhythm, for example. Longer oscillations such as menstruation are called infradian rhythms. If these oscillations become unbalanced, serious health consequences can occur - for example, sleep disorders or cardiac arrhythmias.
6. Homeostatic resilience
Homeostasis refers to the balance of physiological functions. These include blood pressure, pH value and body temperature. Short-term changes occur and can also be useful (e.g. fever). However, if the homeostatic balance is not constant over time, this leads to chronic diseases. A resilience of homeostasis therefore indicates a healthy, resilient body.
7. hormesis
Hormesis originally means that small doses of a poison protect the body from the danger of higher doses of the same poison. The body gets used to and adapts well to conditions such as regular endurance exercise, intermittent fasting or changes in air pressure in high areas. For example, if you are planning a vacation in tropical areas or high altitudes, every travel blog recommends planning a few days for acclimatization to get used to the temperatures or air pressure. These adaptation mechanisms are essential and without them or if they are not regulated, this leads to limited physical functions and thus to illness.
8. Repair and regeneration
Constant external and internal influences cause damage to the body and its components. For example, if you have been in the sun for too long or without adequate protection, you will get sunburn. This occurs because the skin is exposed to harmful UV radiation. In the case of severe sunburn, the skin then "peels off" and new layers grow. Damaged parts of the body are renewed according to the same principle. Therefore, repairing damage and regeneration are essential for the body to function properly and therefore healthily. These eight characteristics of health (Hallmarks of Health) stand for many individual complex molecules, processes, circuits and regulatory mechanisms. In the following series, we will take a closer look at the individual Hallmarks in order to understand the complex processes of the body and thus our health.
Sources
Literature:
López-Otín, Carlos, and Guido Kroemer. “Hallmarks of health.”Cell 184.1 (2021): 33-63. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33340459/
Images:
The images were purchased under license from Shutterstock or Canva and are marked accordingly
