Normal aging as a consequent of organism's control systems response to environmental signals which do not contribute to its full self-maintenance. Part I. Biological background

Recent findings prove that anti-aging processes in cells can successfully counteract cellular deterioration. Some researchers agree with the view that the aging of the multicellular organism is rather a function of breakdown in integrative mechanisms than of fatal changes in individual cells. Why, in this case, does an organism composed of potentially ageless cells age? The answer may be found by taking into account the influence of all external factors that induce organisms to function in one physiological regimen or another. The paper shows that the effectiveness of the control systems to self-maintenance may depend not only on organism's structural or functional features but also indirectly on the external conditions in which it exists. It describes some facts that agree with the approach proposed.