Eighteen hidden mechanisms driving aging faster than you think

Healthcaretoday, Klinik Dr Kheng, Clinic Dr Kheng,

Eighteen hidden mechanisms driving aging faster than you think

February 14, 2026

Healthcaretoday, Clinic Dr Kheng, Dr Kheng Kien Soo, Sabah, Healthy aging, Preventive medicine, longevity, Heart health, Inflammation, Hormone Health, Brain health, Immune support, Healthy living, Nutrition matters, Disease prevention,

What we call “normal aging” often reflects hidden immune decline, known as immune senescence, requiring older adults to stay vigilant and actively maintain immune defenses.

By Dr Kheng Kien Soo, Family physician,
anti-ageing /aesthetician;
Clinic Dr Kheng,
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

You can avoid catastrophic events like heart attacks. The results of how we live are recorded in our bodies. If one doesn’t understand good food or clean water and lives in a way that wastes life force because one is too busy to pay attention, it is not unexpected that illness will follow. Such a lifestyle accelerates cellular aging and drains energy, especially as one gets older.

We shouldn’t assume that suffering and sickness are inevitable or that we must decline physically and mentally as we age.

These are unforeseen health incidents that occur: crippling autoimmune diseases, cancer, and the one that scares people most — a heart attack.

We often think we have no control over these events. So how do we control this fear and avoid the “catastrophic events” that bring down so many?

The answer is not pharmaceutical drugs. If it were, heart disease would not be the number one killer in the country.

There is a reward for making healthy lifestyle choices: they add years to your life, free of the disabilities you often see in others who may be younger than you.

What are the things lurking in the body that could take us by surprise and bring us down? Many people who take their health seriously still succumb to catastrophic events.

There are eighteen known mechanisms of aging.

They include chronic inflammation, glycation, methylation deficit, mitochondrial dysfunction, hormone imbalance, excess calcification, digestive enzyme deficit, fatty acid imbalance, DNA mutation, immune dysfunction, enzyme imbalance, loss of mitochondria, excitotoxicity, circulatory deficit, loss of youthful gene expression, loss of insulin sensitivity, loss of bone density, and oxidative stress.

One reason health-conscious people die prematurely is that they leave themselves vulnerable to just a few of these age-accelerating factors, many of which are easily manageable with today’s technologies.

Sometimes they overlook just one important factor. Think of those who seem to be aging well but suddenly succumb to pneumonia. What some people accept as “normal aging” actually involves a hidden decline in immune function. Scientists refer to this as “immune senescence,” and aging individuals must be particularly vigilant about maintaining strong immune surveillance. They should also treat any infectious agent promptly and aggressively to prevent complications like pneumonia.

You need to restore your natural hormones to youthful ranges. A deficiency in the hormone DHEA, for instance, can cause serious disruption of immune responses. Conventional medicine has frightened many people away from the proper use of natural hormones. The tragic result is that elderly individuals succumb to infectious diseases they might never have contracted had they maintained a youthful hormone profile.

Why do so many relatively healthy aging women and men who suffer just one bone fracture never fully recover? They may not die immediately, but they often develop endless complications that eventually become fatal.

A bone fracture is a classic catastrophic event. It creates a deadly downward spiral in the elderly. It causes immobility, which makes aging individuals vulnerable to pneumonia. Bone fractures also trigger systemic inflammation that can push an otherwise healthy person into a degenerative state, manifesting as dementia, stroke, or other age-related conditions.

Had these people prevented the initial fracture, they might have lived much longer in good health.

Short-term memory loss is accepted by too many doctors as “normal aging.” Yet it can signal serious underlying degenerative brain changes. In some cases, circulatory disturbances, left unchecked, result in a disabling stroke.

When detected early, relatively simple steps can improve blood flow to the brain. In other cases, chronic inflammation is the culprit that inflicts massive damage on brain cells. Suppressing inflammation is critical to protecting against cognitive decline.

Those suffering from congestive heart failure need to restore the energy-producing capacity of their heart muscle cells. This involves taking proper daily doses of acetyl-L-carnitine, taurine, and a special form of coenzyme Q10 called ubiquinol. Studies show that 450mg a day of ubiquinol improves recovery rates from congestive heart failure by 88 percent. Restoring hormones such as DHEA also improves cardiac output.

What steps do we need to take to prevent a catastrophic event from destroying our bodies?
We have found that virtually anyone over age forty has blood markers indicating future disease risk. We use blood test results and other data to create a personalized longevity program to minimize the odds of suffering a catastrophic health event.

What is the most prevalent catastrophic event?
Atherosclerosis, often manifesting as coronary disease, remains the leading reason why health-conscious people don’t live as long as they should. The number of middle-aged people dying from blocked coronary arteries has declined over the past forty years due to better preventive measures.

The burden has now shifted to those over seventy who previously enjoyed healthy coronary blood flow but suddenly develop acute angina or heart attacks requiring stenting or bypass surgery. Side effects from these invasive procedures, along with accelerated atherosclerosis, can become the catastrophic event.

What causes the arteries to suddenly clog?
The underlying cause is endothelial dysfunction. We have observed individuals in their mid-seventies with only 30 percent coronary blockage who progressed to 90 percent blockage within two years. Around age seventy-five, the inner lining of their arteries deteriorated rapidly, allowing plaque to accumulate quickly.

This was not due to sudden increases in LDL or triglycerides. The problem was that the structure and function of the endothelium deteriorated and began attracting atherogenic agents from the blood.

In aging individuals, nitric oxide deficit is a major issue. The endothelium requires nitric oxide to maintain its structure and function. As levels decline with age, arteries lose their protective capacity.

How do we boost nitric oxide levels?
It used to be thought that taking enough arginine would maintain adequate nitric oxide levels. However, arginine is rapidly degraded, leaving little available to sustain nitric oxide production.

Studies show that plant-derived antioxidants spare nitric oxide and improve blood flow to vital organs like the heart and brain. Pomegranate and resveratrol reduce inflammation and support healthy circulation.

Nutrients such as DHA from fish oil and green tea extracts suppress inflammation in the brain. Curcumin also reduces inflammation through several pathways. The key is addressing memory impairment early rather than waiting for dementia.

Congestive heart failure is another risk for those with blocked arteries. Sudden heart attacks still kill over 156,000 Americans each year. Statins deplete CoQ10. When CoQ10 is suppressed, heart failure risk increases. Some researchers propose that widespread statin use contributes to rising heart failure cases.

The brain, one of the most metabolically active tissues, is highly dependent on CoQ10. This may explain increased cases of amnesia-like symptoms in people using these drugs.

Some people pride themselves on extremely low cholesterol. However, the brain cannot function optimally at very low levels. Evidence shows that excessively low cholesterol increases death rates from brain hemorrhage.

The cholesterol theory alone is flawed. Over 50 percent of heart attack deaths occur in people with normal cholesterol levels, including diabetics.

According to Russell Blaylock, atherosclerosis is primarily an inflammatory disorder of the blood vessel lining, not simply a cholesterol disorder. Inflammation is driven by oxidized fats and omega-6 lipids.

Oxidized fats produce free radicals that damage vessel walls. The body sends white blood cells to clean up the damage. These cells fill with fat, rupture, and release more fat, forming plaque. Calcium deposits then form as the body attempts protection.

To prevent and reverse atherosclerosis, safer natural anti-inflammatories include curcumin, quercetin, pomegranate extract, garlic extract, omega-3 oils, extra-virgin olive oil, vitamin E with high gamma tocotrienol, vitamin C, and ellagic acid.

Here’s the reality: supplementation alone is not enough. Exercise matters most. Supplements help when deficiencies or inflammation exist.

1. Make good friends.
2. Focus on your spiritual life.
3. Engage in regular physical exercise.
4. Challenge your mind.
5. Choose organic foods when possible.
6. Avoid major toxins.
7. Cut omega-6 fats dramatically.
8. Increase omega-3 fats substantially.
9. Consume grass-fed meats without antibiotics or growth hormones.

EXPLORE FURTHER