Thought Provoking Question #7

“Grief, no matter how you try to cater to its wail,

has a way of fading away.” 

                                                               ― V.C. Andrews, 

                                                                          Flowers in the Attic

The Golden Years: Good As New! 

In last module's thought-provoking article, Old As the Hills: Why We Grow Old and Die, I discussed the process of aging leading up to dying. Though a natural process in life’s cycle, we, particularly in Western culture, have come to fear and dread death. How often have your heard said, it’s the quality of your years not the quantity of them? What good, after all, is beating cancer and heart disease, if we get to die of an end-of-the-road brick wall disease like Alzheimer’s? We may well look back upon some of these past ills as our friends in comparison to the diseases that lie ahead. Actually, there is much we can do to grow gracefully into our tomorrow’s. Cross over with me now to that old as the hills landscape and catch a glimpse of where the grass is always greener and younger too. Come with me, as I explain why we will live longer, and what that will mean.  

Life’s a crapshoot, but if you’re already age 40 and male, you’re a good bet to make it to age 75; the bet’s even better for women. The one-two punch of healthier lifestyles and biomedical breakthroughs is pushing one’s life expectancy to 100 and beyond. There are now 61,000 people over age 100, by 2020 there will be 214,000. Are you ready for that brave new world?  

Smart Bombs - Heart disease, cancer, and strokes killed 1.2 million people per year. Several new generations of drugs, such as the beta-blockers of the ‘60s, the calcium channel blockers of the ‘70s, and the ACE inhibitors of the ‘80s, have taken a large bite out of hypertension, heart attacks, and strokes--all major killers of those in mid-life and beyond. These newer generation of medications are specific targeted medication (STMs), which like smart bombs, target the disease area only leaving healthy cells alone and preventing fewer side effects.  

Thinking Chemically - Over 4 million Americans are afflicted with Alzheimer’s, not to mention the host of other nasty dementia disorders, like Parkington’s and Huntington’s disease that affect the brain. The war against Alzheimer’s is progressing on two fronts. Several drugs already add nearly a year to functioning before the disease really sets in, still others are blocking the toxic levels of calcium build up in the brain, a major culprit in dementia diseases.  

Beefy Bug Killers - Body parts age at different rates, but one universal side affect of getting old, thus increase our vulnerability from colds to cancer, is immune system fall off. The decrease in immune system functioning begins around age 30. Scientists have figure out two problems in aging immune systems. First, with age the thymus gland produces less T-cells, part of a class of lymphocytes that attack invading enemy germs and diseases in the body. Second, many of the T-cells already in the blood stream are ineffective. Theory holds that if you get the ineffective T-cells out of the body, the thymus gland will get cracking and start producing some real useful ones, and thus restore the immune system to its normal fighting trim self. Rejuvon, a biotech startup company believes it will have such a drug within a few years.  

Raging Hormones - The link between hormones and health is fast becoming part of the cocktail circuit talk. Estrogen replacement therapy dramatically slows a bone thinning, which leads to osteoporosis, as well as reducing heart attack and stroke. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in men reduces anemia, strengthens muscles and adds zip to sexual desire. A related hormone DHEA, has been shown in animal tests to revive aging immune systems and deter cancer. An experiment in 1990 by Dr. Daniel Rudman of the Medical College of Wisconsin, involving the use of human growth hormone in elderly men, was found to shrink fat by 14%, expand lean mass by 9%, and increased skin thickness by 7%. The overall affect on physique was equal to shedding ten to 20 years! Replication studies have confirmed Druman’s results and Mexico has cashed in with "Longevity Clinics" everywhere that supply the high priced drug -- a year’s supply costs well over $13,000.  

Exercise Your Life - No drug or magic bullet holds as much magic as exercise. Exercise is the real breakthrough in research. The positive effects include cardiovascular enhancement, hormone increases, increased immune system functioning, and emotional well being, from endorphin production. Exercise may be an option for the under forty, but not for the over sixty group, where it is imperative.  

Diet - Your mother was right, when she said: "Eat your veggies!" Foods laced with vitamins E, C and beta-carotene counteract the torrent of so-called "free-radical molecules," in our system, which reek havoc with our body cells. These rascals are produced as a byproduct of day to day business of converting glucose and oxygen into energy. The above vitamins counter free radicals by producing anti-oxidants that react and disarm free radicals. Over sixty years ago scientists at Cornell University made an extraordinary discover. By placing rats on a very low calorie diet, Clive M. McCay and his associates extended the outer limit of the animals’ life span by 33 percent. It’s a tough row to row indeed, if you, like me, love to eat. But learning how to moderate the types of foods you eat, in tandem with an exercise program may hold real promise in staying lean and living long. Several drugs are at the cusp of FDA approval for helping people stay leaner as well. Many theories abound as to why caloric restriction works in prolonging life. So far the view which has received the most support is that caloric restriction extends survival and vitality primarily by limiting injury of mitochondria by free radicals. Mitochondria are the tiny intracellular structures that serve as the power plant for cells, and therefore for life itself.  

Tight Genes, Telomeres, Nano Machiacs, and Fast Freeze - When all else fails gene therapy may provide the magic bullet to life at 200. Dr. Thomas Johnson of the University or Colorado has already doubled the pony 30-day life of the lowly roundworm by manipulating genes, and DR. Michael Rose, of the University of California has doubled the life of the fruit fly through genetic manipulation. Exciting new work with telomeres holds great promise. Chromosomes-- with their tight packets of DNA that store genetic messages--are capped at the ends by stabilizing sections called telomeres. Every time a body cell reproduces, the telomeres get a little bit shorter. Many scientists believe telomeres are responsible for "nature’s planned life-span" limits. The interesting twist is in cancer cells that reproduce uncontrollably, their telomeres don’t shorten. A biotech company by the name of Geron is working on inhibiting the enzyme that rebuilds telomeres, thus fighting cancer. Thinking also has it, that by stimulating this same enzyme, we might prolong vibrant cellular division. Interesting research by Xyrox Corporation, which is actually working with "Nano Mechanic" concepts, is producing some intriguing results. They are developing a type of "worker bee" cell that can be given specific instructions and then injected into the body to perform particular tasks, like organizing and carrying out the rejuvenation of a damaged organ or totally amputated arm. If all else fails there is "cryonics," the process of subjecting a corpse to extremely low temperatures until such time as a medical science can resuscitated the body and reverse the cause of death. Several hundred people are already in this frozen state awaiting their judgment day with science.  

On a less chilling level, the task ahead for all of us, is to make the life we have now work best and longest. The idea is to find out what healthy things work for you. What research has found is that the worst advice you can give someone aging is: "What can you expect for your age," and "Take it easy." Make reasonable choices. For example given the choice between giving up cigarettes or lowering your cholesterol, eat you steak and eggs, but ban the butt. A 40-year-old male, who smokes a pack-a-day of cigarettes, hacks seven years off his life. Though heavy boozing is out, a couple of drinks has been shown to perhaps be useful in enhancing a longer life. What it comes down to is moderation and method in life. So beginning today, get a life, in fact get a long one!  

References 

Kirkland, R. I. (1994, February 21). Why we will live longer, and what it will mean. Fortune, pp. 66-68, 70, 74-76, & 78.  

Cowley, G. (1997, June 30). How to live to 100. Newsweek, p. 56-67.  

Weindruch, R. (1996, January). Caloric restriction and aging. Scientific American, pp. 46-52.  

This article is by Dr. J. Davis Mannino and originally appeared in the community newspaper We The People. All Rights Reserved by the author. Copyright 1999 Dr. J. Davis Mannino