The Short-Term Economic Argument for Undertaking Efforts to Treat Aging as a Medical Condition
The primary economic argument presently made for treating aging as a medical condition emerges from the fact that medical spending and medical research is largely entwined with government in much of the world; it is increasingly a public purse, not a collection of private purses. Politicians and bureaucrats care (to some degree) about avoiding the looming financial implosion that will result when present unsustainable spending policies run head-on into the demographic transition to a society in which an ever-larger proportion of people are old, suffering from age-related disease, and many of their expenses paid via entitlement programs. Reducing the burden of old age reduces the costs to public health programs. Sadly, this seems to be a lot more motivating to many people than the goal of reducing the incidence of human suffering and death.
There is a much larger and more important economic argument to be made regarding the costs of age-related death and disease, not just the expenses, but the lost opportunities, the lost progress and knowledge. This cost dwarfs the expenditures of the world's government health services; recent estimates suggested that merely delaying aging by a single year would save $38 trillion per year, just by marginally reducing the present enormous costs of coping with the universal progression to dysfunction and death in later life. Yet this economic argument is met with shrugs, and is much less motivating to those who find themselves in the position to create change for the better, or so it seems. We are not a rational species.
Translational longevity medicine: a Swiss perspective in an ageing country
Breakthroughs in medical research in the last century have led to a significant extension of the human lifespan, resulting in a shift towards an elderly population worldwide. Due to the ongoing progress of global development towards elevated standards of living, this study specifically examines Switzerland as a representative nation to explore the socioeconomic and healthcare ramifications associated with an ageing population, thereby highlighting the tangible impact experienced in this context. Life expectancy in Switzerland has steadily increased over the past few decades. Along with life expectancy, the old age dependency ratio (OADR) has also increased. As ageing is associated with many morbidities, their prevalence is destined to further increase unless further measures are taken. The increased OADR will lead to secular stagnation in the economy and threaten the sustainability of pension systems.
The demographic transition and ageing population, therefore, pose important challenges to Swiss society from several perspectives. Given our findings here, we suggest the following potential strategies to address these challenges. A paradigm shift in medical practice is needed to improve health rather than respond to existing diseases. By researching the molecular mechanisms involved in the biology of ageing and expanding epidemiological and clinical research on ageing, we should aim to bridge the gaps between basic research of geroscience and medical applications. We need to establish protocols for clinical trials on ageing that include functional capacity, frailty, and time to events of onset of age-related diseases. For this, we need to establish clinically relevant biomarkers of healthy ageing and incorporate a more complete interconnected picture of comorbidities. With this, we can hopefully improve the quality of health in the ageing population.
Without changes in the biological and medical fields, the socioeconomic impacts of ageing might become devastating. Hence it is indispensable to invest in the future of ageing research.
Hey there! Just a 2 cents. TL DR: It's Thursday, TGIT (not TGIF, Thank God It's ....Thursday).
''By researching the molecular mechanisms involved in the biology of ageing and expanding epidemiological and clinical research on ageing, we should aim to bridge the gaps between basic research of geroscience and medical applications. We need to establish protocols for clinical trials on ageing that include functional capacity, frailty, and time to events of onset of age-related diseases. For this, we need to establish clinically relevant biomarkers of healthy ageing and incorporate a more complete interconnected picture of comorbidities. With this, we can hopefully improve the quality of health in the ageing population.''
Researching for researching needs to reduce, what needs to increase is making a therapy -- from whatever research already avail. Tangibilizing, the 'thing...'making it happen'....not just research/info...but having a/some..plan about what to do, with that info; Acting on it.
Making a Plan (of Action/concretisation, into some, therapy, supplemnt or some form of tangible, that we can take-in/apply, to humans - so they can (finally)... Start (one day, before it'S too late)).
The older we are, the less chance that we will gain...I mean the whole 'the therapy works better when you are Old'...we should not hold breath on that...meaning, generally speaking, it is better (the Inverse) to start Earlier, than later. Because,there is-such a thing, as too late ('too lil too late).
Everyday, we incur permanent/irreversible damage....at it piles..and we age,
'onward march to (our) death' as the prov. gallows close-in -- it is not a receding oasis/mirage; it is a advancing reality, towards you (you could be still/unmoving or even 'backtracking/walking backwards away from it'......it still comes, to(wards) you/catches up to you -- it is like watching in a side mirror of car's door -- ''Objects in the mirror appear closer than they are. - Death closes in on you faster than you would like.'').
We know what determines aging, now we must apply it (The knowledge) in a concrete therapy or something; that will solve/defeat aging. For those who were living under a rock, a bridge or did not get post-it/memo....'newsflash' (not so news (big revelation) by now/anymore..)
Aging is caused by damages...and it's very saddening that so far, there is so little to attack it/fix it/reverse it... of course, beccause of the Extreme complexity...and 'we failed' repeatedly before (oh...and many people against defeating aging (moralists/ethicists/sanctimoninous/sermonating).
Bureaucratic red tape, lack of funds, lack of 'belief'...and more.
That does not help to defeat aging...all this.
''For this, we need to establish clinically relevant biomarkers of healthy ageing and incorporate a more complete interconnected picture of comorbidities. With this, we can hopefully improve the quality of health in the ageing population.''
I tihnk they have been quite established....I fixed this sentence:
''For this, we need to use the current relevant biomarkers to defeat aging and we will also defeat the comorbidities, along with it. With this, we will have solved and defeated the aging of the aging population; and they will remain healthy - as bonus. And, not die - of aging.''
There, Fixed.
It was not so hard, right?....Now, of course, they will say: ''easy to fix/say...not easy peasy to do.''.
Which is true...but, the researches laterly....are all about (or nearly all) about healthy aging and improving the health of elderly people..so that they can live long - Average Life -- in better health.
A Better Life..with Better Health.....Better QOL (Quality (health) - of Life) means Better Life.
Until,,, (one day).... Dead.
That is the gist of things now.
It's not so bad...when you read it like that...I mean...we wish great health for them and live long life in health....which is......ABOUT 120 or so....some will die much earlier than that...at 90 or so.
''I lived a healthy life....I healthy aged...now I am ready for my healthy death.''
How could someone not see the elephant (in the room),, in this thinking...I guess, the blind leading the blind (...leading the blind [[[leading the..veryy blind]]]), like sheep - towards the cliff.
But, they will say, 'we' (the luddites and gurunuts/fruitcake/peddlers of elixir 'oils) - are - the blind.
''Can't you see or hear yourself...you sound like an alien E.T...trying to sell me a fast one; I know you don't have a few condos or bridges in Florida to sell me.''
Well, I rather be outlandish about it and it comes out farcical...than not. Because, there is something worse than being shunned...it's being ignored, with apathy. The saying is:
''Talk about me...in good or bad.....but do not ignore me.''. But, when ignored, you don't exist.
People can talk about you, in bad...you are still 'better off...because you are getting 'some attention'...even if it is not the attention you want/wished (unwanted attention/because not like); at least...you're getting 'some thing' (instead of (coldly) ignored, in complete apathy and thus,
uncaring/abandon/total indifference). It is said, that indifference is worse than contempt/hate, because the latter, at least gets you acknowledged and not ignored. It would, of course, be better to be a positive (acknowledgment); but, we know, that antiaging will meet with indifference, apathy and ignoring/ignorance of it. And then...also, disdain, contempt (mostly, moralistic).
The fact that saving 1 single year in aging (biologically) save 38 TRILLION dollars....says it..right there....like...it's crazy to omit/ignore this fact...it's not some bs...if people live longer, healthier - BUT NOT JUST THAT - and ALSO -- aging is defeated -- and longevity can goes however one wishes so...than you will see MORE people contribute and thus more 'gains' like this 38T Dollars of savings in economy...yes, some people won't work or want to...but, I mean, we have to factor the co$ts of 'living too long' vs the 'gain$' of these people still living on ('not dyinglike in the past').
This study shows that, altogether, most likely, we would be able to offset the costs..and it would end up a GAIN to have people live longer/and defeat aging. NOT JUST HEALTHY AGING bs...
But Defeating Aging....and the rest 'will fall in place'....it will help a Lot...on the many aspects of health/diseases etc....SO THERE IS WAYYY MORE GOOD to Defeat Aging...then put little bandaids solution, like what is healthy aging 'mind'..
It's just TOO CONSERVATIVE - TOO LITTLE......NOT AMBITIOUS ENOUGH.
It's 'on the safe' (side)..it's ok...but it's NOT ENOUGH...never enough (to defeat aging, that is).
Then we wonder why we end up with this on an on...
we're now at 'we will fix your verrucas, your glaucoma, your osteoporosis...you will be happy, healthy....and, that's that.'
Like, it's stopped there....20 years ago, we were so HYPE about defeat aging...now, complete Underhype, just ''we are blasé, bored....we can't do it...why even try...people out there are
'dead set -- on dying''.
If we defeated aging, tomorrow, Should we give this to these people who continuously put down defeating aging as some graveous moralistic error?....should we give this to them....would they change opinion...most likely, no; they may change opinion...but why should we do this .. OH RIGHT...because we are 'nice' people who can be 'doormats/welcome carpets'...that can be stepped on and, altogethhher.... 'forgive' these people's 'stubborness and fatalist desire....
(because, of course) We are forever forgiving, we can forgive them.
Maybe, in the future, that is what will happen, is we will be accepting their apologies, as they may have a change of heart and decide ''you know what, I changed my mind...I don't wanna die...I'm staying.''. I await this (reversed) sanctimonious (acrimonious/if cringe) moment.
People may end up doing a U-Turn 180o....and (of coursse) we should forgive them.
''I was stubborn...all along...I did not help.....I was the problem. Please, forgive me.''.
Thanks for reading,
just a 2 cents.
PS: The Efforts should be about solving/defeating aging....like, the efforts of improving health, healthy aging....is like....wrong. The WRONG WAY...it'S THE OTHER WAY were supposed to go.;..it's BANDAID/PATCHUP crap crud...it does not fix aging in way shape or form; it just BARELY slows anything...and thus, we age 'healthily'..which is exactly what we are doing right now (some Better than others..these people will live on longer Average lifespan - and they will die. 120-130. or so. 100% guaranteed.). If people are 'ok' with that...I dunno what to say..besides, you resolve yourself...to only so much, to less -- you are SETTLING for less....you are just saying 'hey that'S enough for me...more than enough.''. Ok...but you are the reason why this field does not advance more than it does...as in, by your wishing of dying and of healhy aging; you contribute to this thought/collective mind..to linger and that translates/trickles down...to the funding/the BELIEF..in actually - defeating - aging (terminating it, something that never happened in human history; but will, one day); not just putting (healty)band-aids...on aging.
Band-aids solution/Catch-up game = we will never defeat aging..and we will, 'healthy age to death.
PPS: Aging is caused by the mitochondrial ROS/O2....more specifically, the ageElevation of ROS and Loss of Consumption of them; which makes the cascade oF THE REST...epigenetic aging, DNA strand breaks, lipofuscin, progerin, chromosome misarrangment, histones loss, demethylation, telomeric loss, nuclear decompaction, acrolein, AGEs, gene silencing loss, disarray, macromolecular, extracellular and cytoplasmic residues/damages, endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative stress, global transcription increase, somatic DNA mutation accumulation and DNA deletion/DNA lesions, stemm cell attrition, splicing, accumulation of damaged mitoDNA chunks floating everywhere causing farspread inflammation, loss/excess of RNA signaling (formation of RNA circles and other mutant-dna), cancer, lipoperoxides, protein aggregates, drusen, ceroid, tau, amyloid, transthyretin, MDATBARS, oxidized molecules...
All this...downstream...if we cannot affect these...then, it is nearly assured we won't defeat aging (or reach LEV); but, if we can't than we have to target the largest cause of our aging, and that's the cells' mitos.
There is a direct inverse correlation between longevity (Maximal lifespan potential, not just average) and mtROS emission rate; but, more so, consumption rate; and, even more so; elevation with age. It was demonstrated in wild-type mouse brain slices neuron cells' mitos, SAMP mouse brain slices (Senescence Accelerated Mouse Phenotype/SAMP8 mice) and pigeon brain slices. Wild type mice live 4 year max. SAMP8 mice live half or less (2 years or less; they experience 'progeria' like symptoms; like other progeria mice/premature aging - graying of fur/loss skin thickness...etc..all visible in elderly people) and pigeon birds live 35 years (max); so 2 vs 4 vs 35 years brains...there was a clear visual appearance of 'elevation of mitochondiral ROS rate' towards the 2nd year of the SAMP mice...while in the WT mice...there was elevation of ROS towards the 3-4th year....
pigeons...had no elevation for 10 years... (they studied 10 year old pigeons' brains); there was only a 'slight elevation', like a sort 'uphilll' very gradual... the SAMP mice..A SPIKE in less than a few months to their death. SAMP mice = 10 units of mtROS at 2 years; before 2 years it was a 1-5 units....WT mice = 10 units at 4 years....gradually increasing towards 3rd year.
Pigeons...very long 'barely' increasing - never above 5 units...-for 10 years... so, not only pigeons lived over twice longer than the WT mice (or 3-4 times longer than SAMP mice); they barely saw any increase; their rate...was about 1 unity or less...for over 10 years. Only pigeons that became unhealthy and died earlier..saw an increase to 5 units or more..towards the end of their decade.
If they reached 10...pigeons can go to 35 years old (like Naked Mole Rats); it is known that birds have better protected cells and mitochondria than mammals'...this due to them have better antioxidative capacity -- namely, higher levels of 'albumin' and 'bile(s)'...it is known that bile/albumin is an extremely powerful ROS scavenger/quencher/consumer. Thus, they compensate their higher levels through better consumption and thus, maintain a low mtROS for their whole life -- not Elevating (like it happens in old age); it was also demonstrated in C. Elegans worms....were they saw 'flashes' of ROS in the life of a worm...like say...a major flash towards teenagehood/entry to adult...and then another one towards elder age....these flashes kill the animal by excess ROS (redox imbalance/antioxidation vs oxidation imbalance). Tipping the cells towards oxidation / oxidative stress and, thus senescence (albeit, it is mostly Spontaneous Senescence'..but in the Long Run..
it is Replicative Senescence taking over/over time passing).
This is the single most powerful way to defeat aging; the rest, like attacking telomeres, attacking lipofuscin, attacking AGEs, stem cell injection, partial epigenetic reprogramming (they saw that epigenetic reprogramming cannot reverse somatic mutations and thus, cannot fix damage already there; it becomes a 'Catch up game'; we can repeat reprogramming continously..that the Great thing of partial rejuvenvation we can revert cells epiage - to near 0...but we cannot fix the rest after doing this intervention/it does not fix it only reversing the epiclock)... most of that...may end up lackluster (an effect like healthy aging/Calorie restriction/about 20% improvement in health and only/or no change to Maximum Lifespan of specie)- because you need to do it ALL...in 'concert'/'multiple-attacking'...all these pathways, DOWNSTREAM...not upstream (downstream of mitos; Mitos are the Most Upstream you could get and therefore, one, if not (the only?) way to Truly defeat aging; or if not defeating aging -- it doesn't matter if we can't Totally Defeat it - What Matters - is that we can Slow It Down to a Crawl...if we can slow aging - Orders of Magnitude..in my book..it is better than any therapy in the future; THEN, yes, aging will be technically' defeated; and that' more than enough --- but the 'healthy aging' is something that is needed to be stopped/stop putting moneys in this; put money into fixing the stuff that matters; the stuff that CAUSES aging and death (death of aging); we know it/what it is...now let's fix it.).