The Synthesis

The activation of the immune system, psychological stress, chronic pain, sleep problems, chronic smoldering infections, fears, smoking, etc. lead to unwanted energy expenditures. Using simple physical considerations, it is illustrated that any form of unwanted energy expenditure leads to an impairment of the desired physical/mental activity. This correlation has been demonstrated for chronic inflammatory diseases and aging. However, the restriction of physical and mental activity is associated with a significantly higher risk of diseases such as heart attack, stroke, age-related diabetes, depression, dementia, cancer, etc. Therefore, any unwanted energy expenditure should be avoided or eliminated as much as possible. A foray into molecular geriatrics—gerontology—concludes the chapter.