- The work proves that a single anti-ageing enzyme in the body can be targeted, with the potential to prevent age-related diseases and extend lifespans.
As each of the 117 drugs tested work on the single enzyme through a common mechanism is means that a whole new class of anti-ageing drugs is now viable, which could ultimately prevent cancer, Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes.
scientists of Hubski, is this hyperbole or is there something to be excited about here?
It's a cross I've been bearing for some time now. It's nice to finally give that cross some purpose. Cheers my immortal friend.
- 'Some of us could live to 150, but we won't get there without more research.'
Hyperbole. Resveratrol has effects, but biology is a symphony, and making one instrument really loud usually has unintended consequences. Using these drugs isn't similar to drinking red wine, as the effect is at least 100x more potent. I wouldn't rush to take such a pill.
Exercise, calorie restriction, and some red wine. That's what I'd stick to until enough people have been taking this to uncover any ill effects that won't show up in a short-term clinical trial.
The thing is, if our current society is any indication, the cutoff point is not going to be determined solely by whether or not you are still living, but by whether or not you are still living and have the resources to pay for whatever transcending the physical reality in to the digital one costs (talking immortality not 150). Chances are it will begin as a process solely for the "elite".
Better start saving!
This is the other point that I cannot escape when thinking on this issue. Sad but true. We will not be the ones able to afford what the bleeding edge of medicine will offer to those seeking the Holy Grail of longevity. At our very core, the free market societies that will develop these treatments are not set up to solve the problem of how to get the most life saving technology to the most people, but rather to extract the most profit from the various populations where they can.
True, but advanced technologies tend to quickly become cheap enough for everyone to buy - just look at cars, computers and mobile phones in the last century. Sure, not everyone has access to items of the same quality - I tote around a cheap Samsung brick while everyone else has smartphones - but if it's something as easily reproduced as a pill then even this wouldn't be a problem.
A similar concern as the one you write about has been raised with regard to nootropics (cognitive enhancement medications) - that they'll be available only to the wealthy elite, further entrenching their financial superiority. But actually, nootropics are of more benefit to an individual the more people who have them. I'm better off if everyone has nootropics than if only I do. Perhaps the case is similar with regard to immortality drugs.
One of my largest concerns is that it is pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline who are trying to produce these pills; I imagine they'll sell them at several thousand % profit over the production cost.
My guess is its some pretty extreme hyperbole. You want to live longer, healthier? Eat less. So far, the only proven (scientifically proven fact) to extend life is to eat as little as possible without being malnourished. FYI, you can already buy resveratrol supplements at your local drug store.
I am no scientist, but this sounds legit to me. They may be overly optimistic about some aspects of it, but I'm excited. Its been known for a while that the "Mediterranean Diet" is one of the healthiest in the world, allowing people to age graciously and still have some vigor. One of the key components of that diet is, you guess it, wine! And red is said to be preferred to white. So, some of the science is already there, and has been studied quite a bit. What the article is talking about seems to be taking part of the red wine, and tweaking it a bit to make its affect stronger. I would pay for these pills. This could be the future multivitamin. But its not really multi, sounds like its just one thing. At one point in time, people were encouraged to eat a spoonful of cod liver oil every day. My grandparents said that everyone did it, pretty much without fail. A product like this could end up doing the same thing, being part of everyones diet. On the plus side, there is no way it can taste as bad as cod liver oil.
I'm with StJohn, I'm going to skip the cod-liver oil and any supplements in general and stick with the red wine.