Skip to Content

Anti-aging movement

« Back to Glossary Index

**Anti-Aging Medicine and Therapies:**
– Anti-aging medicine is a growing specialty with certification available through organizations like the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
– Human growth hormone and hormone therapy, including estrogen, play central roles in anti-aging treatments.
– Senolytics research targets improving health by targeting senescent cells for elimination.
– Caloric restriction and alternative therapies are explored to enhance longevity and combat aging.
– Risks and challenges associated with anti-aging products, including safety concerns and disappointing results from certain interventions.

**Scientific Approaches to Aging:**
Biogerontology and caloric restriction are scientific approaches aimed at understanding and potentially extending lifespan.
– Senolytics and senostatic agents are researched to target age-related diseases and enhance immunity during aging.
– Metformin and inflammation-blocking strategies are studied for their potential anti-aging effects.
– Studies on longevity, including the impact of dietary habits and exercise on lifespan, are explored.
Life extension through calorie restriction and exercise is a focus, with potential benefits on aging processes.

**Public Perception and Criticisms of Anti-Aging:**
– Over-optimistic projections and lack of funding in anti-aging research are noted, along with varying views on the effectiveness of supplements and hormone treatments.
– Criticisms of life extension, such as fears of overpopulation and societal challenges, are discussed.
– Differing perspectives on aging, including the celebration and elimination of old age, are highlighted.
– The reception of anti-aging movements, societal attitudes towards aging, and ethical considerations in the field are examined.
– Scientific perspectives on aging research, demographic implications, and discussions on defeating aging are also included.

**Herbal Supplements and Mass Movement:**
– Older individuals often turn to herbal supplements for anti-aging benefits, influenced by alternative medicine practices.
– Unregulated anti-aging products pose health risks, leading to potential dangers from unverified products.
– The mass movement towards seeking relief from aging incidents through various products is discussed.
– The need to discredit fraudulent and harmful anti-aging products and differentiate legitimate research from pseudoscience is emphasized.
– The war on anti-aging medicine initiated by experts and ethical considerations in the anti-aging movement are key points.

**Scientific Research and Advancements in Anti-Aging:**
– Scientific research on aging, including cellular senescence, development of senolytic agents, and metformin as a senostatic drug, is explored.
– Studies on life extension through caloric restriction, the Okinawan diet, and maternal caloric restriction effects are included.
– Effects of calorie restriction and exercise on health, including insulin sensitivity and skeletal muscle stem cell function, are detailed.
– Predictions about medical technologies in the field of aging, open letters supporting aging research initiatives, and further reading materials on anti-aging medicine are highlighted.
– Contributions of key figures in the anti-aging movement and the scientific legitimacy of the term ‘anti-aging’ are also covered.

The anti-aging movement is a social movement devoted to eliminating or reversing aging, or reducing the effects of it. A substantial portion of the attention of the movement is on the possibilities for life extension, but there is also interest in techniques such as cosmetic surgery which ameliorate the effects of aging rather than delay or defeat it.

There are many scientists of this movement with different approaches. Two of the most popular proponents of the anti-aging movement include Ray Kurzweil, who says humanity can defeat aging through the advance of technology, allowing us to reach the longevity escape velocity, and Aubrey de Grey, who says that the human body is a very complicated machine and, thus, can be repaired indefinitely. Other scientists and significant contributors to the movement include molecular biologists, geneticists, and biomedical gerontologists such as Gary Ruvkun, Cynthia Kenyon, and Arthur D. Levinson. However, figures in the gerontology community in 2003 tried to distance their research from the perceived pseudoscience of the movement.

« Back to Glossary Index