Unlocking Longevity

David and I have a habit of watching and reading dozens of articles, newsletters and videos each week on health, wellbeing and longevity.

Longevity science is advancing rapidly, ever since the idea that ageing is a disease that could be cured emerged around 20 years ago. While living longer sounds great, what is much more important is the quality of our lives, which depends on our healthspan – the number of years we are in good health. As the saying goes, a healthy person has a 1,000 wishes; a sick person only has one.

The winners in the game of ageing are those who experience a brief period of ill-health before they die, rather than suffering ill-health for 10 or 15 years, or even more, before shuffling off this mortal coil  In the jargon, its about minimising the gap between  healthspan and lifespan.

This is exactly what we aim to help Members achieve at Be Well, with our evidenced and carefully curated Fitness, Recovery and Preventative Health Care services, curated in Well Ontrack, a personalised health and lifestyle program; together with a  a warm, connected community.

Here are some of the latest, interesting developments and treatments being explored in longevity:

Targeting the Biology of Aging

Scientists are now able to measure biological age in contrast to our chronological age, Simply put, biological age is the rate at which you’re aging physically, whereas your chronological age is simply the number of birthdays you’ve had.

It’s sadly not uncommon for people to have a biological age that is a decade or more higher than their chronological age. Conversely, there are many people whose bodies are much younger than they are!

Emerging Therapies

The Longevity Revolution has opened the door to interventions that slow or reverse the fundamental processes of ageing. Cutting-edge experimental treatments are being explored, such as young plasma transfusions, senolytic drugs to clear aged cells, and gene therapies targeting longevity pathways.. The quest to extend healthspan is gaining momentum, combining insights from long-lived populations with the latest biomedical research. While radical life extension remains elusive, practical steps informed by longevity science could help more people live better for longer.

Clinical Trials

There are many promising longevity treatments currently in clinical trials. Here are some notable ones.

NB* These are Not recommendations; aka don’t try these at home unless prescribed by a medical doctor/specialist!

Metformin

Metformin, a widely used diabetes drug, is being tested for its potential anti-ageing effects. A large clinical trial called TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin) is underway to assess if metformin can delay the onset of age-related diseases and extend healthspan. Metformin has shown lifespan-extending effects in animal studies and observational data suggests it may promote longevity in humans.

Senolytics

Senolytic drugs, which selectively remove aged, dysfunctional senescent cells from the body, are being tested for their ability to treat age-related diseases and potentially extend healthspan. Clinical trials are evaluating senolytics like fisetin, dasatinib, and quercetin for conditions like chronic kidney disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and COVID-19 complications.

NAD+ Boosters

Compounds that increase levels of the co-enzyme NAD+, which declines with age, are in clinical trials. Nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) supplements are being tested for their effects on inflammation, muscle recovery, and vascular function in the elderly.

Rapamycin

The FDA-approved drug rapamycin, used to prevent organ transplant rejection, is being explored for its potential anti-aging effects based on its ability to inhibit the mTOR pathway involved in ageing. Trials are evaluating low-dose rapamycin for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and COVID-19.

Young Plasma Proteins

Companies like Alkahest are conducting trials of plasma fractions from young blood that may contain rejuvenating factors. Their drug AKST4290 is being tested for age-related macular degeneration, Parkinson’s disease, and other age-related conditions. While these are still early days, the clinical trials underway provide hope that treatments targeting fundamental aging processes could delay the onset of multiple age-related diseases and extend healthy lifespan.

Lifestyle Interventions

Supplements are supplementary. They can assist as a top-up, as cream on the cake. The cake itself is made by lifestyle: eating a plant-based diet, regular exercise (resistance, cardio, flexibility), sun exposure, managing stress, cultivating social connections, and maintaining a sense of purpose.. Communities like the Blue Zones, where people live extraordinarily long healthy lives, exemplify these principles in action.

We’ll keep a watching brief on trials and breakthroughs for you. Happily, though, our lifestyle is our best medicine, so we don’t need to wait for scientific breakthroughs to extend our healthspan.

See you soon at Be Well!