Spock really cuts to the core of success with his Star Trek catch phrase. A person has truly succeeded if he or she has led a long meaningful life, perhaps with many children or a great legacy. Recent information may be cracking open the door to the former part of this common expression. The new understanding of the signaling pathways underlying aging may lead to a longer lifespans, but whether or not they will be prosperous is still to be seen.
An important factor in aging is the insulin pathway. Some new studies have shown that by blocking this pathway in a number of ways such as, genetic blocking, medication or simple caloric restriction, have increased the lifespan in a number of animal models. However, things don’t seem to be so easy in the far more complex signalling of humans, but big steps do seem to be being made. We seem to still be a long way off from increasing lifespan by exploiting this new-found information, but now is as good a time as any to discuss whether longer life would lead to more prosperity.
On the plus side, some diseases such a Alzheimer’s Disease are directly related to aging, and slowing the aging process might be a key to stopping or slowing the influence of this hated disease. The same insulin pathway mentioned earlier may play a part in the disassembling of structures within brain cells, which may be a major cause of AD. So slowing the aging process through manipulation of this pathway may lead to longer cognition as well as longer life. Perhaps slowing the aging process would add another few years of activity to the average person. This would lead to increased productivity and therefore prosperity across the board.
Unfortunately, it isn’t mentioned if this pathway would extend the utility of the body. I would hope that it does, but it seems a possibility that the blocking the insulin pathway may lead to a longer life, but maybe one much extra vigor or energy. To me, just living an extra ten years in bed does not seem too great a prize. A widely available increase in lifespan would also put extra strain on society. We can barely pay for the aging American population when the average lifespan is about 80, imagine another ten or even five years tagged on the end. With this in mind, prosperity doesn’t seem like a definite offshoot of longevity.
In closing, I would suggest that research continue, if for nothing else than the knowledge. Plus, we’ll never know whether aging research will lead to the more prosperous first scenario or the second, less desirable scenario without a better handle on the complex issue of aging.
Live Long and Prosper
