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It happens to anyone who lives long, first gradually, then suddenly. By the time they reach their 50s, most people will have at least one age-related condition. By age 85, almost all of us do, usually several at a time. Cancer, diabetes, cataracts, osteoarthritis, dementia. The list goes on and on.
None of this should come as a surprise, at least for those of us at an age that are experiencing aging. But what you may not be aware of is that we now have a comprehensive understanding of aging at the molecular and cellular level. Even more surprising is the growing consensus that aging can be slowed down or even reversed.
“The belief that aging is treatable still exists, and optimists are everywhere,” says Linda Partridge, director of the Max Planck Institute for Aging Biology in Cologne, Germany. “The idea that it’s preventable is very strong,” she said.
Why we age has been debated for many years. There are two schools of thought. One is the accidental but relentless accumulation of damage to cells and biomolecules. The other is that aging is biologically programmed and is the evil twin in our development from fetal to adulthood.
Both hypotheses have evolution at their core in the form of “reproductive fitness,” the ability to pass on our genes to our children. The damage accumulation hypothesis argues that it is beneficial to invest in cellular repair processes to maximize their fitness when we are young. But after a certain number of years, that investment is no longer worth the cost, at which point the restoration process stalls and damage accumulates. …
