Key points from article :
Aubrey regards aging as an accumulation of damage.
I regard it as a programmed process, rooted in gene expression.
His idea is to engineer fixes where things fall apart with age.
I believe in an approach to anti-aging that works through the body’s signaling environment.
Our favored strategies are converging.
Hormesis is when the body is under stress, it has less available resources, but protects us better from aging damage.
As we get older:
- immune system becomes indiscriminate
- apoptosis is on a hair trigger, and we lose muscle and nerve cells that are still healthy and functional
- signals that promote inflammation are dialed up higher
Shortening telomeres are only a small part of the aging program.
Aubrey and I agree that re-balancing of hormones and other signal molecules is going to be essential.
Modulation of the signaling system toward a more youthful state is possible, but not easy.
SENS program has shifted a bit from bioengineering of exogenous solutions to signaling approaches.
