Longevity
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Press ReleaseExperts Call for New Research Focus
EXPERTS CALL FOR NEW RESEARCH FOCUS TO SLOW AGING AND EXTEND HEALTHY LIFE
Advances in science predict a ‘longevity dividend’ of economic and social benefits
Washington, DC --- Acknowledging increases in life expectancy and unprecedented aging of populations worldwide, experts from the United States and United Kingdom make the case for a new model of health promotion aimed at slowing aging in humans. Published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ.com), the experts argue that interventions in aging that have worked in animals are now appropriate for disease prevention in humans and call for a well-funded and aggressive research strategy to extend healthy life.
The paper comes on the heels of a report by researchers at the National Institute on Aging in the July 3 issue of Cell Metabolism that the compound resveratrol slows age-related deterioration in mice.
“The risk for many diseases doubles every five to seven years after age 50,” says Daniel Perry, co-author of the BMJ paper and executive director of the Alliance for Aging Research. “Investing in research to slow the rate of aging has the potential to produce far greater social and economic benefits than seeking cures for diseases of aging one at a time.”
According to Perry, a new research focus on aging is a wise investment given the aging of America’s 78 million baby boomers. The Alliance calls it the “Silver Tsunami”—the rising tide of chronic diseases of aging that threatens to engulf American health care in the 21st century. It is estimated that nearly half of all Americans—and 90 percent of those who are age 65—have at least one chronic disease. The average 75-year-old suffers from three chronic health conditions and takes five prescription medications. Just six diseases—heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s—cost the U.S. more than one trillion dollars each year.
To support “a systematic attack on aging” the authors propose a large increase in resources to investigate how diseases such as type 2 diabetes, congestive heart failure, Alzheimer’s disease and most cancers interact with aging or share mechanisms in common with it.
The authors underscore the potential benefits that would accrue from a new focus on slowing aging. An extension of healthy life would produce health, economic and social benefits, collectively referred to as the “longevity dividend.”
In an accompanying article, Canadian professor Colin Farrelly references the Alliance’s September 2006 Capitol Hill symposium, “Going for the Longevity Dividend: Scientific Goals for the World’s Aging Populations” and encourages policymakers to address the important question of slowing aging. He states that “the longevity dividend deserves a prominent place on the policy agenda.”
At the 2006 symposium, the Alliance released a statement signed by some 100 scientists and advocates from 16 nations calling for a greater focus on investment in aging research, because such research has “the potential to do what no surgical procedure, behavior modification or cure for any one major fatal disease can do; namely, extend youthful vigor throughout the lifespan.”
[“New model of health promotion and disease prevention for the 21st century,” BMJ 2008;337:a399, doi: 10.1136/bmj.a399 (Published 8 July 2008): Robert N. Butler, Richard A. Miller, Daniel Perry, Bruce A. Carnes, T. Franklin Williams, Christine Cassel, Jacob Brody, Marie A. Bernard, Linda Partridge, Thomas Kirkwood, George M. Martin, S. Jay Olshansky.]
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Founded in 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of aging Americans through public and private funding of medical research and geriatric education. The Alliance combines the interest of top scientists, public officials, business executives, and foundation leaders to promote a greater national investment in research and new technologies that will prepare our nation for the coming senior boom, and improve the quality of life for today’s older generation -
Press ReleaseExperts Call for Investing in Longevity Science
EXPERTS CALL FOR INVESTING IN LONGEVITY SCIENCE TO BOLSTER OLDER AMERICANS’ CONTRIBUTIONS
Alliance for Aging Research Offers New Podcasts on Web Site
WASHINGTON, D.C.— With the nation’s economy uppermost in many Americans’ minds, the Alliance for Aging Research explores the economic benefits from increased investment in longevity science in its most recent podcast series. The podcast series is part of the Alliance’s SAGE Crossroads website, a forum that explores emerging issues of human aging and longevity.
Millions of baby boomers will reach traditional retirement age soon, but they will continue to drive economic growth by starting new careers, continuing to pay taxes and investing, said Daniel Perry, executive director of the Alliance. “Aging of the population is not a problem so much as a series of opportunities,” said Perry in the podcast. “If we are going to make the most of those opportunities, we really need to reorient society to create more jobs and more opportunities for people after 65, whether it’s in the paid workforce or in these endless possibilities of volunteerism.”
Perry explained that through volunteer work, community involvement and continued participation in the workforce, the older population can make a huge impact on the economy. Investment in medical and behavioral research is necessary to ensure that the elderly are healthy enough to contribute to society.
Other experts who were interviewed for the series on longevity science include:
- Gregory Stock, Ph.D., CEO of Signum Biosciences;
- David Meltzer, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and an associate faculty member at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago;
- Robert W. Fogel, Ph.D., a Nobel Laureate and the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of American Institutions at the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business;
- Jay Olshansky, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health;
- Robert Butler, M.D., president and CEO of the International Longevity Center;
- Richard Miller, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of pathology and director of research at the University of Michigan Geriatrics Center; and
- John Q. Trojanowski, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research and Marian S. Ware Alzheimer Drug Discovery Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Another timely topic addressed in the podcasts, called SAGEcasts, is personalized medicine, which features David Merritt, project director at the Center for Health Transformation, and Dr. Greg Downing from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In podcast #34, Merritt discusses the advantages of a health information technology system that could support personalized medicine.
“We have technology at our fingertips that sometimes we take for granted, but in health care, we are at least a generation behind,” said Merritt. He believes that an electronic system connecting all stakeholders and patients will inevitably be created, but it may not happen for another 10 to 15 years.
Launched in March 2003 by the Alliance for Aging Research and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (publishers of Science Magazine), SAGE Crossroads provides policymakers, journalists and curious consumers with the opportunity to explore the impact of science and technology on aging. SAGEcasts spark discussions with experts on the ethical, political, economic, scientific and societal impacts of aging-related science.
To download the free SAGEcasts, visit http://www.sagecrossroads.net.
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Founded in 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of aging Americans through public and private funding of medical research and geriatric education. The Alliance combines the interest of top scientists, public officials, business executives, and foundation leaders to promote a greater national investment in research and new technologies that will prepare our nation for the coming senior boom, and improve the quality of life for today’s older generation -
DVDA Quick Look at Alzheimer's: Four Pocket Films to Increase Understanding of a 21st Century Epidemic
These four short animated films explain the essence of the disease and its public health implications. They are designed to increase understanding in order to reduce stigma, improve care and help strengthen the public fight against this challenging disease.
The films are tools to help a wide variety of individuals understand and explain the disease: doctors, nurses, caregivers, family members, social workers, public health advocates, scientists, judges, attorneys and teachers. They can be viewed anywhere at anytime: a doctor's office, a Congressional hallway, a family living room. Anywhere a person can ask questions about Alzheimer's disease, here are some answers.
The films are made possible by a grant from MetLife Foundation.
