Fight Aging!

the Younger You are Now, the Better
enough said...

The hard part is to slow-down the aging so you can remain younger for longer. Or even better, reverse the aging completely... Well I am preaching to the choir here...

Jokes aside, I can understand the rationale of not wanting to live past 75 in decrepit state . The sicker you are the less enjoyable the live is. If you have Alzheimer's your person is slowly dying even if the rest of the body is churning along. But if we have the "70s to be the new 50s" Ezekiel Emanuel will be effectively younger than 75. Let's give him this loophole to gracefully back out from his statement...

I always appreciate it when Reason decides to post something with his level of optimism. I admit, I've been known to return to that "When I am Eighty-Five" article from time to time to ease my anxiety about all of this.

*this level of optimism.

I am 34 years old. What can I expect when I will be 75 in 2061 ?

@Ben. Whatever you do don't stay passive. Get involved constructively with the longevity field, stay up to date. This way, when something such as a good senolytic comes along, you can be one of the first to profit from taking it.

@Jonathan Weaver
In 40 years time? You can expect unimaginable progress, as long as it is physically possible.

Look at the changes which happened 100 years ago, from 1920 to 1961. In that time frame the humankind came to achieve space flight, electric/electronic (lamps) computers, nuclear reactor and bomb, antibiotics, mass production, a couple of green (agricultural) revolutions . All this is just from the top of my head.

Depending on the rate of progress you could expect a couple of discoveries on the scale of antibiotics or the world could be on the cusp of technical singularity with superhuman (in any measure) intelligence in almost every phone, or a post matrix society ,
Or simply mastering medical nanobots which can repair every tissue ... or cause new kinds of pandemics and turn the world into a grey goo (that , paradoxically, could be the happy end, if everybody's consciousness is migrated to a virtual reality)

Correct predictions are hard to be made, especially about the future... The progress is very uneven.

The first thermonuclear bomb explosion was done some 60 years ago. And since then, the commercial nuclear reactor is always some 30 years in the future. Nixon (? Was it him?) declared the war on cancer, and we are far from a final victory. In 70s and 80s we were expecting by now to have human flight to Mars or even use it as a vacation destination. The first tissue printing was done before the year 2000, yet it has seen very limited medical applications , like printing trachea and cartilage .

Some times the progress is painfully slow and incremental (nuclear fusion, organ printing). Other areas progress slowly but eventually reach a meaningful improvement (cancer treatments, solar energy) . And a bunch come apparently from nowhere as revolutions. (Shale oil, tesla electric car, the web, ubiquitous internet connected smart phones)

If you read some of the Asimov's space stories written in 50s pay attention that the captains manually solve the equations to plot the flight parh. Pocket computers were simply unimaginable in the 50s.

To summarize, of you stick around for 30 years you will set a lot of interesting development.

Emanuel's reasoning was anachronistic even in 2014. I know plenty of people in their 70s and beyond, and frankly none of them wants to kick the bucket anytime soon.
It's not about your birth year, rather your interests in life and physical ability to satisfy those interests.
Emanuel's cut off date is idiotic and his self-righteousness shouldn't be given the time of day.

This is a bit off topic, but this is the first experimental treatment I have seen that appears to both increase telomere length and reduce senescent cells. And it is not invasive and doesn't involve medication. So no FDA approval.

Could something so simple as this reverse aging? It seems like it should be studied more.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/anti-ageing-reverse-treatment-telomeres-b1748067.html

@David L.,

I read the article a few days ago too. Sounds too good to be true, but I hope society will check this out as a viable method to help some of us older people.

Well, I for one would like to be as optimistic as Reason and Steve Hill, but I'm not. I agree with Ezekiel Emanuel on this, why live a decrepit joyless life, wasting away is some old people's home, unable to take care of yourself? That's what happened to most people I know. Honestly I'm not looking forward to it and I'd rather be dead by then. Besides, I'm 58 and already feel like shit, don't really want to think about what it will be like when I'm 75.

@Barbara T.
"It's not about your birth year, rather your interests in life and physical ability to satisfy those interests."

Well said, the reason that keeps me going.

Hi there! Just a 2 cents.

I can imagine that when you reach 70+ you start to wonder a lot about the end, as time is seemingly running out. And if people suffer/decripit then it is understandable that the reduction of quality of life (health degradation), for them, means they think ''not worth it/not worth living anymore/if it will be this bad/painful - it's no life (worth living), anymore; prefer to die (despite I might have an extra 15-20 years to live (but, in More and more/advancing Decripititude/ handicap/unhealth/diseased/illness/pained/invalidity)''. Being crippled by the older age is reason enough to feel life is now a burden and no joy (in living it any longer). So, it's the 'pain threshold', how much pain can you take and live with; most people prefer ending it than a late life of constant extreme pain. Dying better (end pain), over Torture 'kept alive'.. to (have to) live this pain daily until death. Thus, for that, I can imagine why he thinks so and why he wishes to end it at 75 tops. Some people also feel that life when closing to 80-90 is pointless...so 'be done with it already'..it's ending soon anyway...that is what they are saying. I think people are in the mindset of ''I know I am at the end (of the road) and It's Ok; I have no fear of ending, but I have a fear of keeping on living and 'living this burden - of the near-end' (and decripiting even more)''. It's clear that if elders were in better health these negative thoughts would be less; still, there is reticence..it's not just 'pain/decripiting/crippling'...its ''no..I see no purpose to live beyond 90 or so...like I can't even 'live with myself' any longer...I've lived 90 years 'of myself'...it's sufficient''...
It's kind of like developing a sort ''ok had enough of myself...gotta let the kids take over now/time to go/turns off the lights (them lights were 90 years on')''...

But that's what it is...people (with elder age) have to Relearn to 'live' and just like a child, relearn it all, and take pleasure in it instead of saying ''Been there, done that....it's the end''. B. Lee once said: ''If you climb the highest mountain ever and reached the top.....next day, climb another one''. Meaning, it's not so much the biggest mountain mattering, it's Keeping climbing...even a Smallish mountain...after having climbed the tallest ones/and left ''well....?...what's next? is there anything else to do in this life? been there done that/not doing it again...do I have any other reason/purpose to continue living?''. Thus, to want to live above 75, you must 'get busy' - always, it can't stop; if it stops, YOU can stop and that's when you can fall apart, and let yourself die (inside); and then you may actually die, for real (health degradation). Health depends on Will of You, or Wishing to Live....to continue....to live. Decades After Decades...after decades. If you are tired/bored out and lived long-enough, then you are setting your mind(set) for death. Thus, hastening your death - Mind is Crucial for longevity; and that means your mood/your 'outlook' on life and all this connects to stress/habits/pain tolerance...etc.

I used to think (as child) I would live to 69 years old...for some reason...sometimes I think I won't even reach it (because of my condition) but maybe it was an youth 'omen' of my future death. But, I want to fight that, tooth and nails; because my father is 73 and only 2 years shy of that 75 he talks of...and my grand-ma lived to 92; and my mom lived to 56...so grim odds.
Better start now (while still young) - shape the mind for 'long run'...and sure I cannot comprehend what it is like as a person in their 60-70s...who have lived all this time and now are tired/fatigued/hurting from all the last 30some yaers in pain....but I tthink that is where we have to solidify our will and it's like a forever castle that builds to the skies...it needs repatching/resolidifying the foundations; or else, like a jenga tower...it will fall. Castle/Pyramid goes all the way to the sky (as you add blocks on and on); it's long (decades) and you must keep at it - if you want to continue living.

The hyperbaric oxygen study increasing telomeres is incredible indeed - my (short) take:
- hyperoxygen boost mitochondria/ATP production simply by more O2 units per mitochondrion
this will increase NAD/NADH levels, improve redox
- hyperoxygen may cause a sort of hormesis, because hyperoxygen causes
hyperoxia/hyperoxidation by the excess ROS formation from such high ambient O2 (100%
ambient O2 molecules), thus many studies showed it that fibroblast that are cultured under
hyperbaric oxygen Rapidly Senesce...because they reach Hayflick Limit much quicker by
excess ROS at mitochondrial membrane complex I-IV; this will cause accelerated telomere loss
and accelerated epigenetic advancement
- Thus, it may be double-edge sword...where in live/in vivo elders cells, it becomes Antioxidation rather than Oxidation; due to this hormesis effect (By excess ROS by excess O2), but this hormesis effect causes redox shift -> enzymatic/non-enzymatic ROS Quenching/consumption (and that is due to NAD/NAPH ratio elevation -> Redox milieu change GSH/GSSG), so it might cause higher ROS but it 'triggers a response' to 'Quench it/Overcompensate'...and so, the redox would shift favorably -> Reduction of ROS + Bonus : ATP elevation -> Extended Population Doublings/Post-poned Replicative Senescence Entry/Retarded Hayflick limit and Reduced Senescence Burden (B-Gal/p53/p16/p21/TNF-a/Caspase3-9/Bad-Bax/mito MMPT (mitochondiral pore transition opening to lose cytochrome c -> cause cell death); and thus, slowed telomere shortening, they even saw Telomer Elongation; this is clearly Telomerase and ku-67/shelterin POT enzyme that can act on telomere to elongate it.
- Now, hyperbaric oxygen causes Telomere Shortening Acceleration (by ROS emission raising/DCF signal); but, by eleveation of ATP (mito OXPHOS) then this allows more energy towards 'Compensating Rising ROS' -> redox quenching/NAD+:NADPH improving. This means DNA/protein synthesis anew, more DNA repair. Because, normally, in vitro hyperbaric therapy cell fibroblst exposure accelerates Telomere Shortening Dramatically and thus, hastens the replicative senescence. In vivo, it's different.

To end, I think what is happening is that the body is able to use extra O2 for 'mitochondrial ATP' to advantage and energize the cell; the ROS is 'kept in check' (in vivo, more ROS consumption by more redox quenching and formation), and a sort of hormesis happens (from excess ROS by such high O2 amount); thus, paradoxically, in vivo, you can see an Increase in the length of the telomere (''when a small-modest stress is benefitial'' (hormesis)), O2 is what fuels a cell -> mito ATP, the energy; more O2 more ATP; now more O2 means more free radicals/oxidation...so, body 'doubles down' on redox to 'neutralize' the ROS increase. End result : Telomeres longer and there is a sort of rejuvenation that happens; with reduced Senescence Burden/less senescent cells done/less inflammation. Now, this is still preliminary; it can be of benefit but let's wait...because hyperbaric oxygen seems 'two-faced'...only good in short-run/short-term...it still causes massive ROS in cells...so there has to be other explanations. I mean you want oxygenation, it's important, but oxygenation is '2faced' -> causes oxydation (ROS) -> aging.
Thus, Dose (and length/timing) is paramount. As one ancient doctor said : ''The dose makes the poison or the cure''. It's all in the dose (so don't overdose and don't underdose/no dose).

Just a 2 cents.

PS: I say this because telomere elongation is important; but what is More Important, is the telomere Shortening Rate...I mean who cares if telomere elongate...-IF you lose them faster Later. I am guessing they are losing it slower (because telomerase had access telomeres, it's clearly slowing down in shortening rate), but telomere length means less (it's not telomere length that truly matters; it's how fast you lose them); it's why mouse have Much Longer telomeres than humans and still die...in 2 years (because they lose telomeric DNA 100x times faster). Because there was a reduction of senescence/SASP and tleomere elongated...it would mean that the telomere shortening rate reduced Too, ...but for how long? I mean if you enter a hyperbaric chamber and you get longer telomeres..it's great..but if in the next 5 years your body SUDDENLY accelerates in aging - just like a mouse..then it was Truly 2 - Faced, just a short-run thing. And could actually Turn bad Later down the line...it's why you may live Longer with Smaller Telomeres - as long as you lose them slower and still have 'enough' telomeres (at least 5kilobase pairs...in supercentenarian women, immune cells 3kilobasepairs...Hayflick limit/the end). Let us remember than chemo therapy, radiation And hyperbaric O2...all of them cause Massive ROS production/DNA oxidation/telomere DNA oxidation..this accelerates replicative senescence entry...now, here, the telomeres lengnthened so it's not that that happened;; but we don't know LATER...what happens of this..there could 'pulses of ROS' later on due to this pulselike 100% O2 drastic exposition (same thing with chemo/radiation - pulse radiation - ROS pulses - mass senescence). It is what my mother died of (chemo therapy - cancer; body too frail; chemo therapy Contributing to the cancer itself; by so much ROS production to try to 'destroy the cancer' by immune jacking up (T-cell ROS)).

PPS: I should mention, hyperbaric/hyperoxygenation studies (100% O2 exposure, instead of regular 20% ambient O2 in air we breathe at sea level; thus, 5X more O2 per breath) in humans having mixedbag; they can help health but are also dangerous; they did cure illness; it's again that finicky line (2-faced) of 'too much/too long' exposure in that chamber and you can die of it. From studies that followed up on young and older people, being put on a O2 respirator or in O2 chamber had Large benefits for sure...because patient gets high-dose O2...it's like putting a diving O2 tank to your mouth - straight O2. But, from the literatture, I don't think that these have necessarily made people reach centenarian age. But many people did not die of making use of oxygenation therapy and were ok; so it has positives; especially in elders that are put on oxygen mask/because lungs have difficulty with age getting enough O2 and less hemoglobin also with age/less O2 carried in blood to organs. Since people were already exposed to nearly 100% O2 and everything was fine later; we can infer that elders (healthiest ones, especially) would gain even more and would not just die a few years after doing this, since now they even have longer telomeres; thus longer lifespan (as long as they don't lose telomere faster though, later, due to this therapy)...what I fear most, is if this was a 'bodily compensation' - the excess ROS/damage by excess O2 -> means Have To Compensate It...so telomeres were increased...but Later..this could comeback against the person/2-faced again.

I believe that there is some 'hopeful' or self-esteem-enriching value to articles like this. They have an occasional place in a Community of the commonly-interested and technically-aspirational. Some People, otherwise apathetic and uninitiated, will read and 'wonder'. I think that many causes in the world, 'climate change', poverty, etc., are well known, with an increase in regulation and programs that serve to only redistribute resources of those with other priorities (for better or worse). Talk of these items is never about 'raising awareness'. However, limited clinic-based interventions into ageing-mitigation is a possible opportunity for 'widening the self-care' of those who would nudge their already reasonably-healthy lifestyle 'up a notch'. The major concern is whether there is really a widespread interest - and rationality need not apply. No one wants to die. No one wants to suffer. However, few (maybe?) want to work hard/ pay much to maintain their current health level (which may have been poor since 25) or otherwise extend a middling and tired existence -- huge private insurance payouts to the contrary (but which commoner sees that?). Should we care about this, probable majority, of people (in a clinical or business sense)? No. We need to analyze how we can assess the low-hanging fruit of investment, staff/researcher resources, and dedicated demand. Does the cosmetic surgery industry widely advocate 'beauty for everyone'/ self-esteem based on looks is a right, beautifying the common person for the benefit of all?? Pictures of the disfigured who would have been CEOs otherwise if more genetically endowed?? Maybe, but rare. They are private, elitist, and isolated - and that's how they want it - and that's how they grow and prosper. The point is that this should be a rational industry-building program to facilitate choice and availability - not (foremost, but eventually) 'youth for all' and 'reducing world deaths of the common scourge'. Many look at covid drug development as an example of 'what could be' given enough resources. Nonsense. Covid is immediate, present, and lifestyle-disruptive - facilitating international animosity, government finances' survival, and political haggling. Nothing except a new space race to rich asteroids, etc., could provide this level of opportunity. Stop hoping for it. Go out for the Mayo clinics, the Executive Health programs, the private longevity (chuckle) clinics -- and push for included services. Create self-test and current tech offshore spas (medical tourism). Create a holding company for multiple research entities that can coordinate. Include claim-denying insurance companies. Stop thinking that publicly-accessible knowledge, well spread, spawns greater research productivity than tightly-held intellectual property jealously guarded and enriched. Of course, all this is moot without the timing. Elon Musk with EVs and private rocketry, knew that knowledge existed but that it was not well managed and rolled-out. He did not create the tech of these blockbuster industries - he orchestrated their success. So, where does that leave us - 1990s EV tech - burgeoning and hopeful -- with a 20-year roll-out under 'friendly communities and conference get-together approaches. Is that good enough? Do you think Elon Musk has any true friends in the small group of do-ers and thinkers who he overpays and overworks? It's time to get ruthless, Corporate, and connected.

Worrying about future and about death is stressfull and contributes to aging process.

If it is your FATE to die - it will happen no matter what you do.

Perhaps you ca prolong your life by being careful or shorten it by suicide.

But sooner or later FATE WILL GET EVERYONE.

Fatalism-fate-fatality=death.

@Nicholas D.
Even if all the aging was solved people would be still dying due to freak accidents, murder, suicide, etc... If the mortality were the same as with the 25y. Olds, then the average lifespan was calculated to be about 800 years.

While, for sure, I don't want to die, what really bothers me is the slow decline , looming disability, and the gear of dementia and AD.

Hi Nicholas! Just a 2 cents.

I agree with the fact that, if excluding all attempts of reversing aging, yes our fate is sealed, it is our fate; but I think it's important to 'work on it'; it may cause us some grief, I agree, because as you said we 'think about it...all the time'...and it gets to our head/causes us unnecessary extra stress; which, as you said, accelerates aging. BUT. There is but, I'll give you an example, if I thought that way, I would be dead (much, much faster). It's normal to 'accept things' 'as they come' 'and not fight it' (when you are on FightAging.Org -> whole purpose is fighting it), it's true that I would say I would scared...absolultely; I 100% scared; and this fear kept me alive (now it may for sure have accelerated (by 'stress-levels' and thus,) my aging, but I am here...talking to you; otherwise, I would be gone; if I had accepted the fate and said : 'I die...andthen...' I would be dead (would have let go...anybody would have let go if in my place if they fell the pain and devastation I felt). Because I refused to die (of my complications) I did something about it (and here I am still, alive). Now it's not enough, it made me realize that life is (very) finite..and so you can one of 2 things: ''I just accept it...nothing to do about it...we die, anyway; so why bother''....OR...''well, I KNOW we all die now; if we do nothing and simply say 'what comes comes 'the final fate (indeed will come)''; but instead, say, I will act on it and do whatever is needed to STOP IT or at least die trying; reverse it''; It's because people don't believe for a second that aging can be stopped or reversed..it's why they tell others 'don't fall for that crap, stop 'dreaming in technicolor', you will die anyway like everyone else'. I understand that people can 'dash/break' the hopes of others...but hope is needed and I realize that our hope can be seen as 'delusion'; but, I'm willing to hold on to it even if I/you/we die, one day. I don't see it as 100% deluding self/kidding self, but holding on to something (however small), I liken it to the Will (which to other they can read as 'fearing death fate'). I trily can't wait the day that aging is resolved; then, there will be no more 'Fate' of dying'; extrinsic death yes (accident, homicide,...), intrinsic death (aging), no.

What there will be and that there is not now; is a choice (to live/not die of age). And I know that govs will want to control that (sadly, like China or India doing curbing of number of kids per couple or else - end up in jail) and is why govs may disappear as we know them - if they ever start 'limiting a human lifespan' of a human 'living too long for his/her own good and the others (who also must not live Too long, apparently)'. People will be willing to die for their life (meaning someone that would come 'to get someone past due' - would die in the process; if you were 'sent to prison to die like expected/on time/on due clock'; the prisons would become warzones and that is when govs can fall/be dismantled for one or something that Clearly respects the Life of a Human - however long they wish to live - yes that can mean 1000 years),
nearly 100% sure; no one will be able to 'take your life because you are 'expired/reached expiry date - but Still alive?? Why are you, still, alive.....(/s)''. We have to stop it with the collective fatalistic mind - stop saying 'you'll die...you'll see'. If humans can remove this fatalistic thought, it can alraedy make a shiton more people actually Care about Aging/Death - (and you know)...COVID...too...but COVID once solved is done...aging (and dying of it) is still not. I will not try to convince people who are 'set'/mind-Set(ted);settled...about dying; if you will/want to die later that is your decision and only yours. And only yours - for you; nobody else's decision. Because in the future, we may face people who want to 'decide for you' 'what'S good for you' 'when to live' 'when to die'...that will never happen on my living body. If that means I must exile in some forest or 'can't stay in the majority-chosen choice 'of dying'...then I won'T stay there because (it's sad) the people will die because they 'in majority' chose that (and I am in the minority not interested and not in a 'hurry' to die neither - not even 120 YEARS HURRIED; see that's how hurried/how long. 120 years is long for them, for me it's a spec in the grand scheme of a life.As for people who scream :'selfish teenager wannabe egoist who only thinks of His little life..and not the others...in a futile deluded attempt 'to solve aging/death of natural aging'', I say BS...because I fully support this for everyone, not just me. Sorry for the rambling tangent there.

Just a 2 cents.

Uh not everyone thinks that way at all and some of us have never felt that way. Your over generalizations about people are really getting tiring. It sounds like I'm younger than most here but i have no desire to be even 65 (not even sure about 55) if this rejuvenation technology doesn't make some big advancements in the next few decades. The thing is I'm not seeing it and what's happened doesn't give me a whole a lot of optimism

@cuberat

I think those other forms of death need to increase, pick up the slack

This November 20th edition of the Anti-Aging broadcast email is seminal

It describes where we are, why we're here, where we're going, and the likely reasons for that

I'm grateful for the level at which these broadcasts are written at

And that begins to nudge towards the point of this comment

Even now, with anti-aging in its infancy, there are too many things going on that can be reconciled into actionable directions

The written word is too linear, binary, not dynamic

Sure, I can read and get near an understanding of most things in the email

But that's because it's written at my non-scientist, non-venture-capitalist, non-practitioner, non-nutritionist level

More dynamic connections could be made with more efficient language, which would be great for those farther up the food-chain, but leave me in the dust

Another example of the problem would be a register of consumers that, through their knowledge assimilation, have taken to taking some or a lot of supplements

Even if there was a fully accurate registry for intake and results, there would be too many variables to be reconciled for deducing anything actionable

Those are illustrations of the problem of reconciling the complexity of anti-aging

An area that doesn't get much attention happens to be a solution to reconciling the complexity, which is artificial intelligence

There are too many variables for one person or a group of people to deal with

A scientist does research, adds a few authors to their paper, gets peer-reviewed, and the next big-new-thing goes into an exponentially increasing stack left in the cloud

Artificial intelligence will make up for the linear, binary, not-capable-enough-dynamically constraints of people

A. I. ain't easy

I'm 67

I won't see it

But let's get a move on in A.I.

Meantime, my linear, binary, somewhat dynamic effort?
Interpersonal relationships
Exercise
Metformin
Oral hygiene
An ever-changing protocol of
supplements
Diet
Wine

Ciao!

I'm 74...so I guess I have about a year?

I think people age in part relative to their level of awareness...many people are caught up in the dregs of their past experiences in this life and haven't found a way to work through the consequences of these experiences.

If you are caught up in involvements with other people...you are going to be going in part in their direction as well as your own.

Deal with things...let them go...move forward? What have you got to lose except what passes as your sanity?