Growing longevity movement unlocking secrets to a longer and healthier life

The onset of aging is associated with numerous chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. These chronic conditions are the major causes of death in the world’s population. Research shows that most people are ill for five to eight years before they die. But what if we could do something to improve not just lifespan but also healthspan? As humanity seeks the answer to this question, all sorts of solutions are cropping up. Companies are launching specialty gyms focused on healthier aging and supplement manufacturers are creating dietary aids to enhance cell rejuvenation and promote healthier cell aging. Even the ultra-rich are investing in companies trying to reverse aging. Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com, Inc) and Peter Thiel (co-founder of PayPal) recently invested in Unity Biotechnology – a company that is creating therapeutics to slow, halt, or reverse aging. Scientists aren’t left behind either as the field of longevity medicine takes root. Study and study, research is cementing the rationale that aging may be viewed as a disease that can be targeted, treated, and possibly even reversed. Dr. Nir Barzilai is the founding director of the Institute of Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and author of Age Later. The 64-year-old scientist says that genetics accounts for just 20 percent of health span. The rest is lifestyle an environment. Dr. Barzilai recommends exercise and intermittent fasting as great tools for achieving a long and vibrant life. A study conducted in 2017 and involving over 41,000 male subjects showed that taking an inexpensive diabetes medication known as metformin reduced the likelihood of cancer, dementia, and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Barzilai also suggests that this drug should be FDA-sanctioned for older adults. The Mediterranean diet has also been proposed as an effective dietary approach to healthier aging. The Mediterranean diet “essentially tricks the body into thinking we’ve been doing exercise and fasting,” says David Sinclair, Ph.D., a Harvard University geneticist and author of Lifespan: Why We Age – and why We Don’t Have To. Science also shows that keeping sugar intake to a minimum can help minimize age-related inflammation. “The more sugar you eat, the faster you age,” says Robert Lustig, a professor of pediatric endocrinology based at the University of California in San Francisco. Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow who popularized five global areas with the longest-lived people, says that lifestyle practices such as adequate sleep and effective stress management play a part. Furthermore, scientific understanding is improving on how friendships and a socially active life help prolong lifespan. According to Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist and author of Successful Aging, having friendships at 80 years old can have positive implications on your cholesterol levels and overall health. Previously uncontrolled aging factors such as genes are now better understood. About a fifth of people carry a gene variant for a rare disease such as hereditary heart problems. Most people don’t even know what is lurking in their genes and are not aware they may inherit a disease until they start seeing symptoms. Breakthroughs at the new Preventive Genomics Clinic in Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital have added genetic research to the lifespan toolkit. The center offers complete DNA sequencing and interpretation of almost 6,000 disease-causing genes (ranging from common cancers to rare diseases) for less than $2,000. Such tests used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. They are now available for average people – helping individuals understand their genetic vulnerabilities and take proactive measures to decrease risks. Going by these developments, it’s easy to envision a future where longevity medicine and biogerontology may help extend maximum lifespan beyond its generally-agreed-upon current limit of 125 years.