AGING MISERABLY?

Searching for drugs that impede illnesses and turn back time

By JOHN STEFAN MAYR

Scientists believe there's a better way for the elderly to age gracefully with mortality--
researchers call this "geroscience". The focus is to 'delay' the root cause of aging with
disabilities and diseases.

"We literally cannot call these potent drugs as "fountain-of-youth" therapies. “That term is
associated with an industry that is trying to sell products to the public to separate people from
their money,” says S. Jay Olshansky, a demographer and geroscientist at the University of
Illinois Chicago. He further discussed the market margins for old-aged individuals who are in
quest for making the clock work backwards for them.

Achieving a sound health in senility is not just about one's advantage. It was projected that in
2030, about 73 million baby boomers in US alone will be 65 or older. In the similar era, experts
perceive about a billion people of 65 and older globally shall continue to thrive. Despite the fact
that these populace are living longer, they are not necessarily living healthier than their
predecessors.

Geroscientists are established professionals working and researching to find medicines that can
slow-mo the aging process. A couple of compounds they study exhibit promising breakthrough
in experimental field among mice as well as humans, and some are in clinical trials that were
proven effective.

According to Laura Niedernhofer, a geneticist and researcher studying aging at the University of
Minnesota in Minneapolis, ''There is a certain fear of living in old age with death in mind and
getting ill miserably and it goes well beyond just health care. We don’t have the nursing homes.
We don’t have the personal care staff to deal with this at all.” Drugs to help aid older adults in
becoming healthy, active and independent would be a societal milestone for the medical field in
general.

In a nutshell, eventhough geroscientists find compounds that treat the decline that comes with
aging, it’s not clear whether they will minimize the period of age-related illness — that’s the aim
— or simply put 'delaying' it. It’s also unsure if such therapies will add to the average life span
and, if so, how many years?