Wouldn’t it be cool if we could look into a crystal ball to see ourselves in the future? Well, maybe not so nice if we’re looking way, way ahead!
But if you want a clue, look no further than your mother. Interesting, eh? So why is that?
Because you inherit your ability to produce energy from your mother. Remember what I discussed in my last post on mitochondria and energy production? To refresh your memory, mitochondria are the energy producers inside your cells.
They can indicate how well you will function in old age. If your mitochondria produce energy efficiently, you have more energy for DNA repair. If you don’t repair DNA well, you age faster.
Mitochondria are passed on solely by your mother. Your father’s mitochondria are destroyed when the sperm fertilizes the egg. That’s why your mother holds the clue.
What to Look For In Your Mother
How does your mother function today? Is she generally energetic? Does she tire easily? Look at her energy levels. Not her skin.
Her skin’s appearance can be misleading because that is largely influenced by environmental aging, which is caused by lifestyle factors such as sun, smoking, stress, etc. A lifetime of damage from any of those can overwhelm even naturally strong mitochondria.
Is Aging Inherited?
Yes and no. Mostly no. 90% of aging is due to your lifestyle choices. Only 10% is due to your genes.
What’s interesting is skin that has experienced environmental aging looks different from skin that has aged due to the passing of time. You can see a list of differences here.
The most obvious difference is skin thickness. Environmental aging makes skin THICKER. (Think badly sun damaged skin, which is thick and rough.) Genetic aging makes skin THINNER.
