LIVING MUCH LONGER WITHOUT AGING, Part 1

IS IT POSSIBLE?

We may live a lot longer by slowing down the aging process

Clearly, we are all living longer, aging more slowly, staying physically and mentally healthier and accomplishing things later in life, once thought only can be accomplished by younger people. Let me give few examples to prove this point:

Phil Mickelson, the professional golfer who won PGA golf championship tournament this year, by defeating many young professional golfers at the age of 50; President Joe Biden at the age 78, ran a grueling campaign and won the American presidency this year, against a formidable and recumbent  President Donald Trump; Queen Elizabeth of the UK, who at 95-years-old is still as sharp as a tack; Antony Hopkins, 83, Oscar winner for “The Silence of the Lambs,” won an Oscar again this year for “ The Father”; Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease specialist and guru who, at the age of 80 remained cool, sharp and scientific under constant and  intense political pressure by the President Trump and his administration, did not change his opinion about the deadly pandemic.  And the list goes on.

The scientists who are involved in research of biology of aging (gerontologist and gerentobiologist) and clinicians who specialize in the diseases of old age (geriatrician), clearly distinguish between two different aspects of age: Chronological Age and Physiological Age.

Chronological Age is just a number written in our birth certificate. Much more important is Physiological Age, which points to the physiological functioning of our bodily organ systems, our brain, mental faculties and the integrity of our immune system. Physiological age does not necessarily go hand in hand with chronological age. Therefore, the expected chronological retirement age of 65, without assessing physiological age of added experience, knowledge and wisdom, doesn’t make sense and is scientifically wrong.

It turns out that we are, as people, a lot different on this aspect of life, as well. In 1900s, the average life expectancy was around 40 years. But since then, advancements in medical science and technology, including the discovery of drugs, antibiotics, vaccinations, improvements in hygienic measures, clean drinking water, pasteurization, early diagnosis and treatments of diseases, dietary modifications, improvement in lifestyles have successfully doubled our life expectancy to around 75 – 80 years.

Modern medicine has prolonged our life expectancy by preventing and treating many deadly diseases. Together with social measures preventing traffic accidents and crimes, this has practically eliminated many of the secondary causes of premature death. So, we are left in the mercy of the aging process which steadily creates regression and senescence in our bodily and mental functions, the immune system and make us vulnerable to aging and aging related diseases.

Burden of diseases dramatically increase in old age. We don’t die of natural causes in old age, as assumed, we die because of one of these diseases. For example, epidemiologic studies have shown that an average 80-year-old person suffers from around five different diseases. One of these diseases, or a combination of them, would eventually cause the demise of an elderly person. Aging, by far, is the leading cause of suffering and death on a worldwide basis. Every day, about 150,000 people die in the world and 100,000 of them are elderly.

So then, the main question should be asked here is - can we prevent the aging process, which is the main culprit of suffering and disease in old age? I believe we can.

We ignore aging, because we think aging is inevitable and is a natural part of living. But is it really? When we look at nature and the animal kingdom more closely, we see that many creatures live very long lives without aging. Among them, the giant tortoise of Galapagos Islands, which live 150 – 175 years, without getting old. They only display negligible capacity of senescence, loss of senses and fertility. They show no age-related decline in infertility and remain fertile during their entire life span. It should be noted that these animals are vegetarian and move slowly - there is no speed, no rush in their life. By investigating and studying the biology of aging which is called “Biogerentology,” we can learn the secrets of aging and apply that knowledge to humans to slow down aging process and make them live longer without aging.

In the upcoming Part 2 of this article, we will discuss scientific developments, our understanding of the aging process and agin prevention.