Longevity Glossary

A genetic mix-up that stops fat-carrying proteins forming, so vitamins A, D, E and K can't get around the body.

Your gut acting like a sponge, soaking nutrients from food into your blood.

Your body's fast emergency team — redness and swelling mean your immune system is hard at work.

Teaching people about risks before they get hooked — especially important for young people.

Body fat — your built-in energy store, insulator, and cushion, and also a hormone-producing organ.

Sticky deposits that form when sugar latches onto body proteins — like food browning in a pan, but inside you.

Your body's natural slow wind-down — cells repair less efficiently and tissues gradually lose function.

A molecule that fits a receptor like a key in a lock and switches it on.

A molecule that fits a receptor like a key in a lock and switches it on.

A count of all deaths no matter the cause — the most complete measure of population health.

Your immune system over-reacting to harmless things like pollen as if they were dangerous invaders.

A brain disease that slowly erases memories and thinking skills, like pages disappearing from a book.

The LEGO bricks your body uses to build every protein — muscles, enzymes, and hormones alike.

The hormones behind male characteristics — muscle mass, deep voice, and facial hair.

Not enough red blood cells — long-term illness diverts the body's resources away from making them.

Chest pain that warns your heart isn't getting enough blood when you push yourself.

Confused immune proteins that attack your own joints — a key blood test for rheumatoid arthritis.

Eating foods that calm your body's internal fire — colourful veg, oily fish, nuts, and olive oil.

Y-shaped proteins your immune system makes to grab specific germs and neutralise them.

The name tags on germs that tell your immune system whether to sound the alarm.

Antibodies that mistakenly target your own cell's control centre — a hallmark of lupus.

Your body's rust-preventer — neutralises cell-damaging free radicals before they cause harm.

Your body's full anti-rust toolkit — enzymes and vitamins working together against free radical damage.

The protein shell that wraps fat molecules so they can travel safely through your watery blood.

The enzyme that converts testosterone into oestrogen — important for hormone balance in both sexes.

High-pressure pipes delivering fresh oxygen-rich blood from your heart to every corner of your body.

An ancient Indian herb that helps your body handle stress better — a natural chill pill with energy benefits.

Arteries slowly clogging with fatty deposits — like limescale building up inside a pipe over decades.

When the top two bones in your neck become unstable — a serious RA complication requiring careful monitoring.

Your cells' energy coin — every single thing your body does spends ATP.

Immune proteins that accidentally attack your own body instead of germs.

When your immune system confuses healthy cells for enemies and launches an attack on them.

Your cells' self-cleaning mode — broken components are broken down and recycled for reuse.

The antibody factories of your immune system — they remember past germs and make targeted weapons against them.

Eight vitamins that help turn food into energy and keep your nerves and blood cells healthy.

Your cells' typo-corrector — fixing single damaged DNA letters before they become permanent mutations.

The pancreas cells that make insulin — your body's master blood sugar controller.

How much of a supplement actually reaches your bloodstream — not everything you swallow gets used.

How old your body actually is on the inside — which can be older or younger than your birthday age.

A health clue measurable in your blood or body — like a check-engine light for your biology.

Running a full panel of health clues at once to map your body's overall status in high detail.

Taking a tiny piece of tissue and examining it under a microscope to find out what's going on.

A natural plug that stops bleeding at wounds — dangerous when it forms inside arteries or veins uninvited.

Your body's plumbing — a 60,000-mile tube network carrying blood, oxygen, and nutrients everywhere.

A number derived from height and weight that estimates whether you're carrying a healthy amount of body fat.

How solid your bones are — denser means stronger and far less likely to break as you age.

When inflammation literally eats away at bone edges inside joints — a sign of uncontrolled arthritis.

Keeping your bones strong and dense so they support you and resist fractures throughout life.