"It turns out that each body part has it's own very distinct lifespan"
Does anything about us stay the same with time? According to science, not much!
From the point of conception our bodies are constantly changing, right down to the cellular level. For the body to fully function almost all cells must die, with new ones readily being made to replace them.
In a study by Dr Jonas Frisen in 2005, he and his colleagues issued their findings on the age of various cells within the bodies of the 30 year old participants:
"Cells in the muscles of these adults had an average age of 15.1 years. On the other extreme, the epithelial cells on the surface of the gut have a very short life of just 5 days, on average. That being said, the age of the cells in the main area of the gut was 15.9 years, on average."
It turns out that each body part has its own very distinct lifespan. The lining of the stomach, continuously encountering harsh stomach acid, regenerates every few days, but dense bones can take closer to a decade to completely refresh.
When it comes to balanced, healthy cells, the body's schedule for renewal looks like this:
Red blood cells: 120 days
Brain cells and tissue: 60 days
Colon cells: 4 days
Skin cells: 2-3 weeks
Liver: 300-500 days
Hair and skin cells: 30 days
Stomach lining: 5 days
Skeleton 10-15 years
With the emphasis on balanced, healthy cells, we are more fully able to recognize the importance of deciding how and what we feed ourselves to ensure that the body's cells can renew in an optimal way; preventing, reducing, and/or reversing illness and disease as the body rebuilds.
Monitoring how and what we consume involves yet goes well beyond food and beverage, expanding to include:
TV and internet consumption
thought patterns and self-talk
choice of music
practiced habits
emotional responses
living condition and surrounding support system
Hence, not only are we what we choose to eat, but we are also what we choose to watch and listen to, how we choose to respond emotionally, and the habitual patterns that we invest in. All of which determine the quality of the body that we are perpetually and innately rebuilding.
And while it actually requires nearer 10-15 years for most of the body to fully regenerate itself, the choices you make along the way become the building blocks that will be put toward the project.
So choose your building blocks wisely, friends. The quality of your health and wellbeing depend on it.
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