Longevity

Why Do We Age?

Incredible scientific discoveries that will change the way we look at aging and disease have been unfolding during the early 21^st century.  The secrets for healthy, youthful aging, while clearly influenced by our behavior, appear to be rooted in mechanisms at the molecular level of our cells.  In 1990, the journal Nature published a ground­breaking article based on something called the telomere. It changed forever our under­standing of the aging process.  Last year, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to scientists for their discoveries of the role of telomeres, and the enzyme telomerase, in aging, cancer and chronic diseases.  But are telomeres the whole story? Read the rest of this entry »

Start Growing Younger

Since the days of Cleopatra and Ponce de León, if not before, people have been seeking the elusive Fountain of Youth. Until recently, such pursuits were the realm of quacks and charlatans. To be sure, there is no shortage of dubious promises and untested remedies to increase longevity that are available for the naïve or ill-informed. But recent scientific discoveries are bringing respectability to the field, unraveling the secrets of aging on a cellular level and looking for ways to slow it down.  It is, afterall, the workings of the cellular machinery that determines the overall health and functioning of the whole person. Read the rest of this entry »