A New You - Every 7 Years?
”Don’t you know? The cells in your body replace themselves all the time! In 7 years, you’ll be a whole different person than you are right now.”
I’ve heard and read this more than once, I even believed it for a while. And why not? It seems kind of logical. We know, that our cells replace themselves on a regular basis. Seems only logical that at one point, they’ll all be replaced at least once. So we’re a new person at 7 years old, 14, 21, …
But wait, do we start counting at birth? Or at conception? From the moment a specific organ is formed? All organs are formed? When do the seven years begin?
This alone already makes the statement a bit weird. But let’s look at some examples for cell lifespans in your body, shall we? I dug out some for you.
Blood, let’s start with blood. According to what I found (source linked, as always, at the end), the mean lifespan of a red blood cell is about 115 days. But a “mean value” doesn’t give you the specific age for each cell, can live longer or shorter. And in fact, they do. The survival rates for red blood cells range from 70 to about 140 days. @suesa
Let’s assume all red blood cells survive 140 days. That would mean in seven years, they’re completely switched out roughly 18 times. Not too shabby, certainly doesn’t disprove the statement.
How about skin? What do you think, how long does your skin take to replace itself? A week? Two weeks? A month?
Epidermal cells, the ones that make up the outer layer of your skin, are replaced roughly every 40 to 56 days. That means that, in 7 years, you switch them out about 45 times. That’s even more frequent than the blood cells! Should we correct the 7 years “new body” time period? Make it shorter?
Your immune system kind of disagrees.
T cells, which are important for immune response, mostly live for about 2 weeks after they’ve been activated (= reacted to a pathogen). I’m saying mostly as that’s not the fate of every T cell. The memory T cells, those who remember what the pathogen looked like and what’s required to fight it again, can live several years.
How many years exactly depends. Is it 7? Maybe in some cases, but it can be a lot longer.
And did you ever wonder how your bones fit into all of this? Sure, their matrix (the part that isn’t cells) is made from mineral crystals and other things, but there are cells that synthesize that matrix, it doesn’t appear out of nothing.
Synthesizing it is the job of osteoblasts, which regulate the growth and destruction of bone. After 200 days, most of them (60-80%) die. Some of the surviving cells are then embedded into the minerals of the bone (then called osteocytes) and survive for … 1 to 50 years.
Okay, you won’t have a completely new body after 7 years. But surely, you’re a completely new person? Your personality has changed, you’ve changed!
Except … not really. It depends on how you define “you”, because the neurons (the cells that make up the brain and are not glial cells. They’re what makes us think. And while the connections between change over time and as we learn, the cells itself don’t - as long as there isn’t some kind of injury or sickness.
Neurons don’t age through replication. Normally, cells replicate and changes happen in their replicated genomes (mutations, shortening of telomeres, those things). This causes them to “age” and at one point, stop replicating. One reason for this halt in replication is to avoid cancer. Cancer cells have accumulated a lot of mutations over time and at one point, start proliferating in a way they’re not supposed to.
A neuron cell can, in theory, live as long as the rest of the organism. Interestingly, it even seems like neurons can live longer than the organism they belong to!
Researchers have implanted neurons from one mouse into a younger mouse, that outlived the first. And the neurons just adapted and kept on living their life.
Now that we’ve cleared up the myth, one question remains, at least for me: Where did it come from? And why, out of all time spans, 7 years?
The first part of the question I kind of answered in the beginning. People know their cells are switched out regularly, which probably lead, at one point, to the conclusion, that all your cells will have been replaced.
But why 7 years?
Have you ever noticed, that the number seven seems to pop up everywhere, especially in religion? The seven days of creation in the Bible, the seven hells and heavens in Islam, the seven days of mourning in Judaism and the seven Chakras in Hinduism. Seven seems to have always been associated with spirituality of some sort.
Not surprising then that it has been chosen for a myth that promises you a new start every seven years.
Sources:
Measurement of Red Cell Lifespan and Aging
Lifespan of neurons is uncoupled from organismal lifespan
Pictures taken from pixabay.com
I’m a nurse and was surprised to see the accuracy in this post- not that I have any reason to doubt your credibility, but I see a lot of health/medical posts written by the misinformed.
How bout those T-cells though- I have a love hate relationship with those because I have a ton of autoimmune issues. Sure, the cells help me when they are doing their job but when they mount a full scale attack on my thyroid- my life becomes quite shitty (for lack of a better word).
Anyways, super cool post- definitely my style for sure.
My son has the same condition as you. His immune system is attacking his thyroid. Sadly there is really nothing to stop it. He inherited the autoimmune issue from me. I had my right thyroid removed 21 years ago due to large nodules... and now my left thyroid is full of cysts and nodules. 😕
Damn - that’s just terrible. Living with thyroid issues is so much harder than people think...as I’m sure you know. I have days where I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks. I was diagnosed a year or so ago and my appearance has even changed. My complexion and everything. My TSH was finally normal at my last visit but it’s usually way off- like 80s.
Anyways, I feel for you and your son. I wish the absolute best for both of you. It’s rough but you can do is take it one day at a time.
It's so sad that more and more men are having this problem. You are only 25 and my son is only 19!! What is going on??
I'm starting to think it may be something in the food we eat?
Thank you for responding and I wish the best for you too.
It really is scary. And it happened out of nowhere!!! I was healthy and then one more I woke up and had some kind of episode - hard to describe but I panicked and went to the ER. They said everything was normal except my thyroid which was completely and utterly off! I was really confused and then my doctor started my on synthroid almost immediately. Now here I am a year and a half later dealing with this crap everything. Sorry I feel like it just spews out of me life vomit when I start thinking about it. I truly wish the best for your son and you. Life is what you make it I suppose. All we can do is fight for the best. Anyways time for me to sleep for now- goodnight!
I know of something that may help your son. Thyroids can often be boosted with a concentrated form of iodine that has been detoxified. You can purchase a small bottle of "Detoxified Iodine" sometimes called "Energy Iodine". It's often iodine crystal in ethyl alcohol.
Take this and put 1 drop in 8oz of water and drink the water. The next day put 2 drops in 8oz of water and drink the water. Continue this for 5 days so you get up to 5 drops. Then, stop for 2 days and start the process over again. This should really help thyroid function.
Best of Luck,
Spencer Coffman
Thank you spencercoffman. Yes, I will tell him about this treatment. He does have an endocrinologist he sees once a year but she just monitors his thyroid and never gave him any kind of treatment. So, yes, thank you so much and I hope it works! 🙂
Please be cautious about posting potential treatments for people. There is more evidence that additive iodine is harmful to people with autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto's or autoimmune thyroiditis. It has been used to treat the hyperthyroidism in Graves disease, but should not be a recommendation for all thyroid related disorders as it can make their condition worse.
Yes, it is essential to do your research before simply taking anything. Thank you for adding this word of caution. Iodine can indeed be harmful in large doses, especially to those with thyroid problems. However, this is why it is essential to use detoxified iodine. It provides a different chemical delivery than normal iodine.
Still, read up on it before taking it. This is also why you are to start with one drop in a glass of water. That is such a minuscule amount that it is very safe.
Seriously, wtf is the deal with autoimmune disease, I feel like that's all I hear lately. Are they increasing in prevalence, or are things now being diagnosed that were not previously?
The trouble lies within all of the chemicals and preservatives in the food we eat. Sugar is one of the worst things for the immune system. Sugar beets are bathed in acid and go through a terrible chemical process to become crystalized sugar. Then you eat it and ingest all of those chemicals.
Meat is injected with antibiotics and other vaccines. When you eat the meat you are ingesting those antibiotics and vaccines in small doses. Thus, your body builds up immunity to those medicines. Thus, when you get sick your body does not respond to any treatment. Therefore, you end up with autoimmune problems because your body starts attacking itself. Really it is attacking all of the foreign medicines that you unknowingly consume in your everyday food.
no doubt that sugar isn't good for you - i think we've established that..
not sure about your claim about meat - never really heard about that one before...
but we don't know that either of those is the cause.. it has to be something specific..
I was reading a while back about the balance of gut bacteria and how it's affected by diet, though that doesn't seem to really be an issue in non western countries.
I think also the prevalence of gluten intolerance is related... .i was reading yesterday about some of the chemicals they use to process and regulate the properties of flour, and who knows whether it goes even further up the chain with the insecticides they use on wheat etc.
Yes, all of the flour and gluten people it causes major problems to the body. Look at the epidemic we have of diabetes.
Regarding gut bacteria. That is a major problem nowadays. People are no longer eating fermented foods filled with probiotics like they did in days past. Years ago, people would can all kinds of food and store it in the cellar. As the food aged it grew certain bacteria. Thousands of different strains of probiotics. They consumed these probiotics and they helped make people healthy enough to fight off all kinds of health problems. Now, without all of those antibodies, our immune systems are much weaker.
what kind of foods are you talking about?
Foods that people canned themselves and then they fermented or aged. Things like sauerkraut, pickles, canned fruits that may have became a little tangy, canned vegetables.
They can't be things that the stores can because those are pasteurized, boiled, pressured, or whatever to make sure they last a long time without changing.
Years ago, canned foods grew bacteria. Obviously, if they got too bad then eating them would cause negative effects. However, prior to that, they were great for the bacteria in the gut.
that would make a lot of sense, because to a degree they still do a lot of that in the middle east (and probably other regions i'm sure)
And that might suggest why middle eastern people might be susceptible to RA etc when they move to western cultures, because their gut is used to these bacterias that all of a sudden stop being supplied to them...
To everyone in this line of commenting—
Gluten is certainly a culprit in some of these issues- I myself have been gluten free for over a year now and it has helped me in many areas
Secondly and VERY IMPORTANTLY
(This is not medical advice, I’m only expressing my opinion)
Iodine is a necessary nutrient for thyroid function however those with any thyroid disfunction may have severe adverse effects from taking iodine in larger than daily recommended values. This is especially true in those with Hashimotos/ autoimmune thyroid issues. It can cause an auto immune attack and or cause t4 levels to rise significantly. I do not mean to discredit you @spencercoffman - this is just something that you should absolute speak to a doctor about before starting.
It’s even recommended that those with hashimotos, completely avoid iodine rich foods like seaweed because of the adversity of having too much iodine.
Just wanted to throw that out there.
Yes, thank you. Don't worry, you are not offending me. I am speaking from years of health experience obtained through both myself and others.
Iodine can indeed be harmful if you have an existing thyroid problem. However, it can also help. It will only help if you have a pure form of iodine. The toxins have to be removed. This is why "detoxified iodine" should be used. In addition, when you only place one drop in a glass of water that is a pretty safe dosage.
Still, you should always consult a medical professional (preferably your doctor) before doing any kind of treatment. Your doctor knows you and what you are on. If you add anything they will know how it will effect everything else you are doing.
Therefore, before doing anything you read online, check with someone who knows and understands your specific condition.
When it comes down to it- a lot is unknown about thyroid function and dysfunction for that matter. It’s hard to determine what is truly helpful and what’s is harmful ... research in general is often limited to big pharmaceutical companies and supportive drugs rather than curative. It’s a shame.
Honestly, I’m not sure. I think that we use the term more often to describe things we cannot place in any other category - or something that has not outside cause.
I have been healthy my entire life - I’m 25 years old for Christ sake. And then 1 year ago I get diagnosed with these thyroid issues and my life starts changing. Oddly enough, nobody else in my family has it and it’s more predominantly seen in females. I don’t really fit the bill at all ...but I digress
ha to be honest when i first replied to your post off my phone and i didn't see your display pic i kind of assumed you were female - because you're right it definitely hits females more.
i've read about people going on paleo diets and that kind of thing to improve their health...
I don't really have anything like that myself, but my wife does, and it's made me take a lot more notice when i hear people complaining of autoimmune diseases... it can be really debilitating.
What do you call a small protein on Steemit?
A: Amino
😂
Well I have the 7 year theory....but its not bout cells. Its bout change. At 7 you start school. Then at 14 you hit puberty...which is another change. Then u hit 21...which again is sorta legal age. 28 is when u start feeling age. etc.
I know there is a bunch of loopholes but hey...u asked...this is my theory. :) It may not be a new you....but a slightly changed u...
Its good to know that you can change completely in such a short time frame.
Dammit @suesa! First the 10% brain myth, then this. If you don't stop dropping truth bombs I won't have anything left to make me sound smart at cocktail parties.
Nonono you're going at this the wrong way. Now you can be the smartass at cocktail parties who debunks the attempts of everyone to sound smart!
I'll give it a try next time I'm invited to a party!
Oh wait - there's one major flaw in my plan...
You should throw a "do you want to feel stupid?" party.
i was reading an article on this the other day - great info (and food for thought). one take away i had from the other piece was that the lens cells you're born with...those are it for life. interesting stuff!
Just as the post suggested, I'll start a new life new me ever 7 years.
I'll leave my family, find a new one, pick new hobbies, get rid of any extra genes I do not like.. if I put enough effort in it, I assume I could change my biological gender every 7th year.
No I do not have anything proper related to this topic - other than the use of 7 years. I've noticed the same. 7 is a key number in so many things.
Lucky 7. Even many car companies promise you a 7 year guarantee. I should create a car brand named "Cell" and create a campaign "Renew all your Cells every 7 years. Get a new you!" (or You, if it could be a car model)
@suesa, thank you for opening my eyes to this myth! I feel very silly for perpetuating this now. I never was any good at biology, and I figured all cells eventually died and were replaced.
It's weird to think about, but we are kinda just brains in spongy mobile suits. We associate our body with ourselves but really the brain is where it's at. So, as far as I'm concerned, I don't care what other cells get replaced-- the neurons are what actually matter!
I don't know what to think now. For years now I've been convinced that I have none of the brain matter I did when I was a child, and it routinely made me think a little too much about it. I suppose that it's nice to know that I'm still "me," and will be, for years to come.
I had never heard that ahaha but it doesn't seem very plausible indeed that our bodies would regenerate themselves every 7 years. But it's very true about number 7 - 7 days of the week..Don't they say that in order to calculate a dog's life in human years, you should multiply its age by 7?
Or, that a marriage survives if you can make it until the 7th year?
Those are the only ones I can think of tight now...
Thanks for all the details about cell regeneration, interesting read!
I've heard this a few times about skin and I just think... Scars? They're there a lot more than 7 years, haha.