Rethinking Aging

A study comparing mortality rates of 46 species found some organisms had constant mortality rates meaning they are equally likely to die at any one point in time, which is a difference from the human experience who get increasingly likely to die with age. Some organisms enter a period of aging when they are most at risk of dying but those that emerge from it continue on with healthy lives until they die.

Scientists and biotech companies have been trying to capitalize on such research for years, and many of them are racing to find ways to apply certain aspects of it to people. Such as Google’s futurist Ray Kurzweil claiming his diet can help him live forever and will be close to achieving this by 2029. Cambridge antiaging biologist Aubrey de Grey has drawn a road map to defeat biological aging working with Harvard geneticist George Church which announced via BioViva they had successfully lengthened telomeres on white blood cells by approximately 20 years in a one person experiment.

Aging is not a relentless process leading to death, rather a transitional phase of life between being healthy and stabilizing, according to Michael Rose evolutionary biologist at the University of California.

Human mortality rates increase over time, as we get older the more likely we are to die. Lifespans of other creatures are nothing like this for example the immortal hydra, a tiny freshwater animal that lives to be 1,400 years old which is just as likely to die at 10 as it is to die at 1,000; or the desert tortoise which is at high risk of early death but less likely to die as it ages most likely to live out the remaining years healthy.

The question remains, can translate this to humans and can we stop aging or at the very least extend life? Some scientists think that we can, maybe not hydra years but at least to routinely live and thrive past 100. Research is showing great promise, but the answers still remain to be seen.

In the meantime research shows time and time again that maintaining healthy lifestyle choices which includes a well balanced diet and being physically active can help you get the most out of your healthspan.