Dr. Joy Kong explains why stem cells decline with age. We're born with a finite supply that can replicate, but oxidative damage shrinks the pool dramatically: mesenchymal stem cells drop from 1 in 10,000 at birth to 1 in 2 million by age 80.
Great question. I'm Dr. Joy Kong, a triple board-certified doctor and a stem cell specialist. We're all born with a set number of stem cells. While they do replicate and replenish themselves, the number of stem cells do decline sharply as we age. This is because we gradually lose them due to oxidative damages from just being alive. For example, when we were born, every 1 in 10,000 cells is a mesenchymal stem cell. This is a very important cell type. But when we reach our teenage years, it's already declined to 1 in 100,000. And when we reach our 40s, it becomes 1 in 400,000. 1 in 100,000, and when we reach our 80s, it becomes 1 in 2 million. I hope that makes sense, and drop any questions about stem cells below, and I'll do my best to answer.
