Advances in the fight for a longer health span
The one thing life guarantees is that it ends. But what about the diseases that come with aging, such as obesity, muscle wasting, cancer and dementia? Must we simply accept those as inevitable, too?
Here at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, decades of geroscience research has uncovered a far greater understanding of the role of aging in the development of chronic disease and how to reduce our risk for disabling diseases as we get older. This research has led to interventions that increase health span, the amount of time we have as an active and healthy adult.
While we can’t reverse or slow our chronological age, researchers here have found that slowing our biological age is possible. For instance, our scientists have discovered that the drug rapamycin can extend health span. And in response to the decreased organ function that often comes from senescent cells, investigators here have developed a novel senolytic drug that degrades BCL-XL, which keeps these senescent cells alive. These drugs, in combination with the cumulative benefits of lifestyle interventions, can help maintain functional vitality for the duration of one’s life.
This is critically important because, much like other graying populations across the globe, the United States has an aging problem. Many older adults have lost mobility and independence, and they often develop some form of dementia. Aging populations also face increased diagnoses of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Living for longer durations with these chronic diseases not only robs us and our loved ones of years of meaningful interaction, but it also comes with a financial burden on our families, harms workforce productivity and increases the portion of the economy devoted to caring for the chronic diseases of aging.
Keeping our independence and enjoying our lives as we age should be motivating factors for all of us to make lifestyle choices that drive healthy longevity. The capacity to decrease rates of dementia, sarcopenia, obesity and steatohepatitis, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions already exists, but capitalizing on this capacity requires consistent lifestyle changes combined with early treatment of these conditions.
We know that exercising at least three times a week, following a healthy eating plan such as the Mediterranean diet and getting eight hours sleep every night — along with daily social engagement and early treatment of chronic conditions like hypertension and hyperglycemia — are controllable factors that can increase health span. For those genetically predisposed to age-related diseases, these interventions are that much more important.
The one thing life guarantees is that it ends. But what about the diseases that come with aging, such as obesity, muscle wasting, cancer and dementia? Must we simply accept those as inevitable, too?
Here at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, decades of geroscience research has uncovered a far greater understanding of the role of aging in the development of chronic disease and how to reduce our risk for disabling diseases as we get older. This research has led to interventions that increase health span, the amount of time we have as an active and healthy adult.
While we can’t reverse or slow our chronological age, researchers here have found that slowing our biological age is possible. For instance, our scientists have discovered that the drug rapamycin can extend health span. And in response to the decreased organ function that often comes from senescent cells, investigators here have developed a novel senolytic drug that degrades BCL-XL, which keeps these senescent cells alive. These drugs, in combination with the cumulative benefits of lifestyle interventions, can help maintain functional vitality for the duration of one’s life.
This is critically important because, much like other graying populations across the globe, the United States has an aging problem. Many older adults have lost mobility and independence, and they often develop some form of dementia. Aging populations also face increased diagnoses of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Living for longer durations with these chronic diseases not only robs us and our loved ones of years of meaningful interaction, but it also comes with a financial burden on our families, harms workforce productivity and increases the portion of the economy devoted to caring for the chronic diseases of aging.
Keeping our independence and enjoying our lives as we age should be motivating factors for all of us to make lifestyle choices that drive healthy longevity. The capacity to decrease rates of dementia, sarcopenia, obesity and steatohepatitis, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions already exists, but capitalizing on this capacity requires consistent lifestyle changes combined with early treatment of these conditions.
We know that exercising at least three times a week, following a healthy eating plan such as the Mediterranean diet and getting eight hours sleep every night — along with daily social engagement and early treatment of chronic conditions like hypertension and hyperglycemia — are controllable factors that can increase health span. For those genetically predisposed to age-related diseases, these interventions are that much more important.
Robert Hromas, MD, FACP
Dean, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine
