"NEW YEAR, new me" is a phrase many people use as the new year begins, when they often make resolutions to improve themselves.
There is a common belief that the cells in our body are replaced every seven years, suggesting that we are no longer the same person we were seven years ago.
But is it accurate to say that the body refreshes itself every seven years?
Verdict
FALSE
The truth is, some cells in your body last for only a few days while others stay with you from the day you are born until the day you die.
So, how did the notion of seven years come from?
It started with a study in 2005, when Jonas Frisén, a professor of stem cell research at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, published a paper showing, based on carbon dating, that the average age of a cell in the human body is between 7 and 10 years.
However, this does not mean that every cell in the body is replaced in seven years.
Different parts of the body consist of various types of cells, each with a different lifespan, as some are more durable than others.
For example, red blood cells can live about 120 days, while the white blood cells live between a few hours and several days.
Skin cells have a lifespan of about two or three weeks, while colon cells die off after about four days.
Meanwhile, hair cells have a lifespan of three to six years, while different types of bone cells can last anywhere from two weeks to 50 years.
Interestingly, the neurons in the cerebral cortex—the outer layer of the brain that controls memory, thought, language, attention, and consciousness—remain with us from birth to death and cannot be replaced. The loss of these cells can lead to cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's disease, or motor problems, like Parkinson's disease.
References:
https://www.discovery.com/
https://science.howstuffworks.
https://www.thehealthy.com/
