Why did I write this?
I’m writing this blog to encapsulate what I have learned about the science of aging. I want to create an easy to follow reference on aging science for the public. Although many resources exist for this already, (notably, the Life Extension Advocacy Foundation and Fight Aging) I believe this site could serve as a useful adjunct. Essentially, the goal of this blog is to explain high level concepts using simplified (non-PhD level) language. Once you have the basics, it will be easier to understand the constantly accumulating literature.
Who am I?
I'm currently a Master's student in biology with a B.S. in Biomolecular Engineering and a minor in Bioinformatics. Longevity science is the focus of my career and I intend it to be my life's work.
Snake Oil, Potions, and the Fountain of Youth
The first thing that has to be understood about aging research is that it is inherently controversial. To date, no real treatment, supplement, drug, or fountain has been able to strongly enhance human lifespan. Yes, there are interesting and perhaps hopeful avenues of research on it that could perhaps go in that direction. I would not be writing this blog if that weren't the case. However, as things are at the moment, the best longevity health advice out there is basically to keep a healthy diet and exercise.
If you’ve heard headlines on longevity research you might ask:
However, the general public and investors need to watch out. Those that lack scruples can easily advertise to an uneducated public certain youth treatments with no scientific proof that it works in humans.
Moreover, those in aging research have to work to mitigate the possible side effects or harm caused by treatments. This is one inherent problem of aging research in humans. When it comes to bioethics, our clinical duties are to cause no unnecessary harm to patients. Aging is a harm in itself, but is considered an inevitable harm. Therefore, using a drug with risks on an aging person (when they can be allowed to age naturally) is ethically problematic to study. Most of the medical and scientific community does not consider aging to be a disease.
With that in mind, it is hard to support clinical trials in humans. Would you support a study that used a potentially harmful drug that might hurt someone to cure something that is not a disease, and is perhaps an inevitability? Can you live with the potential that you might cause harm with no benefit? It is a tough dilemma. It is one of the reasons why it is so hard to really progress in aging research.
I do not say this to knock longevity research or to say that it should not be pursued. Rather, I think it is important that we are extremely transparent about this and call out the legitimate science from the charlatans. The charlatans will sell you untested drugs that received okay results in mice. The true researchers are holding back and working hard. Their goal is a noble one, even if its final outcome cannot be reached. Even if human lifespan cannot be extended to any significant level aging research is still basic science. By studying aging, we are also studying the major outcomes of aging: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and many other diseases. Aging is a primary factor in many common causes of death. I like to imagine that a trickle down effect for all these diseases exists when the root cause, aging, is studied. To me, this makes studying aging well worth the pursuit.
The first thing that has to be understood about aging research is that it is inherently controversial. To date, no real treatment, supplement, drug, or fountain has been able to strongly enhance human lifespan. Yes, there are interesting and perhaps hopeful avenues of research on it that could perhaps go in that direction. I would not be writing this blog if that weren't the case. However, as things are at the moment, the best longevity health advice out there is basically to keep a healthy diet and exercise.
If you’ve heard headlines on longevity research you might ask:
“But wait, haven’t many studies altered lifespan in different animals?”That’s absolutely true, but we must be careful. What works for a mouse does not always work in humans. We know this from many failed drug trials. So, we need to be careful about taking the results seen in rats or mice and assuming they work in people. Aging researchers, of course, are already privy to this. That’s why clinical human trials exist after animal models have been tested.
However, the general public and investors need to watch out. Those that lack scruples can easily advertise to an uneducated public certain youth treatments with no scientific proof that it works in humans.
Moreover, those in aging research have to work to mitigate the possible side effects or harm caused by treatments. This is one inherent problem of aging research in humans. When it comes to bioethics, our clinical duties are to cause no unnecessary harm to patients. Aging is a harm in itself, but is considered an inevitable harm. Therefore, using a drug with risks on an aging person (when they can be allowed to age naturally) is ethically problematic to study. Most of the medical and scientific community does not consider aging to be a disease.
With that in mind, it is hard to support clinical trials in humans. Would you support a study that used a potentially harmful drug that might hurt someone to cure something that is not a disease, and is perhaps an inevitability? Can you live with the potential that you might cause harm with no benefit? It is a tough dilemma. It is one of the reasons why it is so hard to really progress in aging research.
I do not say this to knock longevity research or to say that it should not be pursued. Rather, I think it is important that we are extremely transparent about this and call out the legitimate science from the charlatans. The charlatans will sell you untested drugs that received okay results in mice. The true researchers are holding back and working hard. Their goal is a noble one, even if its final outcome cannot be reached. Even if human lifespan cannot be extended to any significant level aging research is still basic science. By studying aging, we are also studying the major outcomes of aging: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and many other diseases. Aging is a primary factor in many common causes of death. I like to imagine that a trickle down effect for all these diseases exists when the root cause, aging, is studied. To me, this makes studying aging well worth the pursuit.
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