An overview of human aging theories

Abstract

Senescence has been a focus of interest for researchers since the 19th century. Given this, several theories were elaborated to explain the process of human aging, a fact that generated groups and subgroups of theories. This manuscript reviewed the main theories of aging and therefore synthesized and classified existing information. Our views on the subject were presented in an illustrative model, which consolidated the theme into four groups: i) modern evolutionary theories, ii) programmed theories, iii) damage theories, and iv) combined theories. In addition, considerations were made about the consensual nature of the theoretical proposals presented and their interrelationships. In this context, it was concluded that despite the advances in science and the large number of theories created over the years, there is still no definitive understanding of the evolutionary process of aging, as well as the amplitude of the analogies of the factors is unknown. associated with the process.