Scientist are working to develop anti-ageing medicine that could well extend our lives, a report by Nature. Framing the process of ageing more as
Scientist are working to develop anti-ageing medicine that could well extend our lives, a report by Nature.
Framing the process of ageing more as a treatable condition, rather than an inevitable consequence of life, could allow people to live longer, thanks to emerging biotechnologies and a greater emphasis on healthy living, informs Nature.
Between 2000 and 2019, global life expectancy increased:
- By nearly 10%
- From 66.8 to 73.4 years
According to the World Health Organization. In long-lived populations such as Japan’s, life expectancy is even greater:
- Reaching record highs in 2021
- 87.7 years for women and 81.6 years for men
- A remarkable advance from 67.8 and 63.6 in 1955
These improvements have been attributed to various factors, including better healthcare and diet. But what if ageing itself could be thought of as a treatable disease, and resulting treatmeunts allowed most of us to live past 100? That is the perspective driving the Japanese Society for Anti-Ageing Medicine (JAAM), an organization dedicated to people living longer, healthier lives through the proper combination of lifestyle support and medical technologies. The society’s vision is to extend healthy life expectancy, informs Nature.
A treatable condition
“We believe ageing is a disease,” says Hidekazu Yamada, JAAM’s president and visiting professor at the Anti-Aging Center at Kindai University in Osaka, Japan. “If we can understand the mechanisms behind ageing, we believe we may be able to extend lifespans by 20% to 50%.”
And anti-ageing medicine is a topic that will feature prominently at the 2025 World Expo to be held in Osaka, which will have an exhibit called ‘Reborn’, related to the future of ageing, reported Nature.
Researchers in countries including Japan and the United States are advancing anti-ageing medicine, which has evolved into a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary science. Prominent researchers include Harvard Medical School biologist David Sinclair, who says he believes the first person to live to 150 has already been born.
Yamada is now convinced that humans can live much longer, healthier lives. A key part of this view is that the end of life should be a quick process rather than a long, slow decline, says Yamada, who wants to change public perceptions of ageing, informs Nature.
Playing an active role
A key outreach activity by Japan Anti-aging Foundation (JAAF), an affiliate of JAAM, is reviewing documentation from nutritional supplement makers to validate claims included in food products. JAAM and JAAF have played a significant role since the establishment of Japan’s food labeling system in 2015, and the country’s Consumer Affairs Agency has approved more than 5,000 applications for labelling of food products, which help inform purchasing decisions.
“Deficiencies in specific nutrients such as zinc and vitamin D are now more common globally. To encourage people to eat enough nutritious food, JAAF supports self-regulation by the food supplement industry, by, for example, specifying the benefits of various nutritional components”, says Shigeo Horie, president of JAAF, and a urologist and professor in Juntendo University in Tokyo, as reported by Nature.
While JAAM’s and JAAF’s initial mission is to promote health, nutrition and exercise as anti-ageing strategies, its next objective is to promote achieving happiness and ikigai, a Japanese term meaning a sense of purpose in life. Understanding this sense of wellbeing and its role in ageing may require another form of education, according to Horie.
Spreading the view
People in Japan and overseas visitors will have a chance to learn about the science and promise of anti-ageing medicine at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka.
The event, expected to have at least 130 participating countries and regions, will feature a pavilion sponsored by the Osaka prefectural government. It will include a section called ‘Reborn’ related to the future of ageing. Visitors will be able to measure their biological age through sensing devices and to learn about what healthcare might look like in 2050, informs Nature.
“I believe that in 2050 artificial-intelligence systems will monitor your health, automatically diagnose disease, and even deliver medication to your home,” says Tetsuya Tomita, a professor at the Graduate School of Health Sciences at Morinomiya University of Medical Sciences in Osaka, who is organizing the JAAM presentation.
Tomita, a surgeon specializing in knee operations in the elderly, became interested in regenerative medicine because it may offer an alternative way to recover joint function to current surgical procedures. It thus may help to maintain mobility in elderly people, a vital aspect of maintaining their health, reported Nature.
Despite its high cost, regenerative medicine could help most people live healthy lives for much longer, Tomita believes, as reported by Nature.
All Credit to: Nature
