3 cool facts about the body's ability to heal

Our bodies have an incredible capacity to heal. Here's some ways your body can regenerate, and do it better than ever before.

• Scientists estimate that the average age of the cells in your body is seven to 10 years old — making you a youngster at any age.
• Cells that face lots of wear and tear, such as skin cells, red blood cells and those that line the stomach and intestinal tract, replace each other very quickly.
• The liver, which detoxifies every food, beverage and drug you ingest, replaces all its cells in less than 18 months.
• The muscle cells of your heart, the inner lens of the eye and the nerve cells of your brain's cerebral cortex are the oldest tissues in your body.

• Researchers have been turning up new evidence about the body's ability to regenerate and recover.
• Scientists at Harvard Medical School recently discovered that the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, in mice at least, could regenerate. This information could help diabetes sufferers.
• Experts at New York Medical College have found that human hearts have a limited, though impressive, ability to grow new cells.
• We know that at least in some areas, your brain can develop stronger connections and even brand-new cells.

• Your body has different regeneration modes. We'll call the less helpful one the "slow mechanic" and the optimal one the "young mechanic."
• Experts now believe you can choose which body-repair mechanic will do the work.
• Without physical activity, your body surmises that it's winter — literally.  So your body starts burning fewer calories and packing on fat.
• The slow mechanic takes over in this "winter mode," doing minimal work and allowing your bones to thin, your muscles to weaken and more.
• But if you get up and move around everyday, the young mechanic gets to work, bolstering key body systems and creating strong new cells.

The human body is a rare thing: it actually improves with use. If you look after your body, it can heal itself and even regenerate at speeds you may have previously thought impossible.