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Living Longer
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Live Long,
If You Prosper
At an age that lies
somewhere between Kid Rock and Mr. Spock, any
talk of extending my stay with the living gets the immediate
attention of my good ear. While waiting in a crowded
clinic for a flu shot, I overheard two people discussing
an article one was reading about "living forever". This
immunized me from terminal boredom by injecting my
thoughts with several interesting questions. Will medical science
develop a fountain of youth in my lifetime? Will these
life extending treatments be available for everyone? How
much earlier do I need to get here next flu season to get
a better magazine selection?
Scientists are close to
unlocking the genetic secrets that could allow us live for
centuries, maybe forever. Researchers around the world are
learning more about how and why we age. Advances in
biotechnology, tissue regeneration, artificial organs,
diagnostic procedures and life saving drugs will make it
almost certain that we will enjoy longer lives as time
progresses. Some scientists predict that by the year 2075,
medical technology will have slowed the aging process to a
crawl and eliminated most life threatening illnesses.
But don't buy your tickets
for the 2080 Summer Olympics just yet. There may be a high price to pay for living
longer. Will health plans cover treatments that extend
lives past their "natural" end? What will manufacturers
charge for a drug that promises eternal life? The obvious
answers are; "Not likely." and "As much as they can."
For the sake of society,
especially my small part of it, I
hope that life extending breakthroughs will be available
for all. Perhaps in the years that it takes for us to
develop these advanced medical techniques, we will also
learn enough about ourselves to become more compassionate
and fair.
Links to more information:
Closing in on the Cure for
Death - by Aubrey de Grey, The Longevity Meme
The Quest For Immortality -
How would you like to live say, 400 or 500 years, or even
more and all of them in perfect health?
Human Longevity and
Aging Research
Today, more people than ever before
are enjoying robust health and productivity well
into their seventies, eighties, and beyond. Life
expectancy for Americans, around 49 years in 1900,
has increased over the past century to about 76,
thanks to improvements in health care, nutrition,
and the overall standard of living for most people.
Furthermore, demographic projections suggest that
life expectancy for men and women who maintain the
healthiest lifestyle patterns will continue to
increase. In fact, centenarians (persons 100 years
of age and older) are the fastest-growing segment of
our population. Article from the National Institute
on Aging.
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Have you ever dreamed of climbing Mt. Everest – on your
125th birthday?
Los Angeles, CA (May 19,
2008) On Friday June 27th, leading scientists and thinkers
in stem cell research and regenerative medicine will
gather in Los Angeles at UCLA for Aging 2008 to explain
how their work can combat human aging, and the
sociological implications of developing rejuvenation
therapies.
The
Longest Lifespan
Jeanne Louise Calment, February 21, 1875 – August 4,
1997) reached the longest confirmed lifespan in history at
122 years and 164 days. Her lifespan has been thoroughly
documented by scientific study; more records have been
produced to verify her age than for any other case.
Do you want to live
longer?
Exercise regularly.
Eat right.
Check with your doctor before beginning
any exercise routine or change of diet.
Longevity
Genetics
Only within the past decade have
scientists understood that single genes can significantly
affect ageing, once though to be an uncontrollable process
of decay.
Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity Genes
You can assume quite a bit about the
state of a used car just from its mileage and model year.
The wear and tear of heavy driving and the passage of time
will have taken an inevitable toll. The same appears to be
true of aging in people, but the analogy is flawed because
of a crucial difference between inanimate machines and
living creatures: deterioration is not inexorable in
biological systems, which can respond to their
environments and use their own energy to defend and repair
themselves.
Humans
Aging Slower thus Living Longer
“What happens before the
age of 2 has a permanent, lasting effect on your health,
and that includes aging,” said Dr. David J. P. Barker, a
professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science
University in Portland and a professor of epidemiology at
the University of Southampton in England.
U.S. study finds
potential new ways to fight aging
Researchers said on Thursday they had
found more ways to activate the body's own
anti-aging defenses -- perhaps with a pill that
could fight multiple diseases at once.
U.S. Life Expectancy
Hits New High
Drops in deaths from heart disease,
cancer and stroke fuel the trend. Life expectancy
rates in the United States are at an all-time high,
with people born in 2005 projected to live for
nearly 78 years, a new federal study finds.
'Longevity' Genes
Protect Very Old People From The Bad Genes' Harmful
Effects
Science
Daily — People who live to 100 or more are known to have
just as many—and sometimes even more—harmful gene variants
compared with younger people.
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