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Why do older adults take longer to return to normal after blood acidity changes?

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What causes our skin to wrinkle as we age? — human aging Overview of why skin ages.

While physiological regulatory mechanisms in older adults are generally sufficient to maintain normal blood acidity under resting conditions, the body requires significantly more time to reestablish these levels following a disturbance compared to younger individuals.1

When blood acidity is experimentally increased, young subjects typically return to normal levels within 6–8 hours, whereas the elderly require 18–24 hours. This delay is linked to the overall decline in the efficiency of the body's regulatory systems with age. Specifically, the kidney—a primary organ responsible for regulating body pH—experiences a reduction in function due to a gradual decrease in blood flow, a loss of functional nephrons, and reduced activity of cellular enzymes.123

Because these organs are essential for maintaining the narrow acid-base equilibrium required for optimal chemical reactions, their diminished capacity directly impacts the speed at which the body can compensate for and recover from fluctuations in acidity.13