Greater organ involution in highly proliferative tissues associated with the early onset and acceleration of ageing in humans

Abstract Domination of cell proliferation over cell death is a driving force for carcinogenesis, whereas reduced cell proliferation and increased cell death are characteristic of ageing. We employed published data to estimate representative mean values of cell turnover times for 31 different organs and tissues in adult humans and animals (when data in humans were lacking) as well as functional mass loss for 5 organs, accounting for actual mass loss and tissue conversion to fat, in humans over the adult period, age 25 to 70. We found that greater actual and functional mass loss was significantly associated (P = 0.001 and P