In April 2024, Matt presented at a two-day congressional briefing on longevity science, hosted by the Alliance for Longevity Initiatives (A4LI) at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Attendees included notable figures like Newt Gingrich, Congressman Gus Bilirakis, and Congressman Paul Tonko. We've included Matt's presentation on our channel as it highlights the need for a shift in healthcare—from focusing on individual diseases to addressing the biology of ageing, which underlies many chronic conditions. In this episode, Matt explains the historical evolution of medicine, advocates for targeting ageing processes, and suggests policy reforms to drive transformative changes in healthcare.

Key Points:

This episode delves into Matt's discussion about the shift needed in healthcare to focus on the biology of ageing, emphasizing its role in multiple chronic diseases. He highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and policy reforms to improve health outcomes and mitigate age-related diseases.

• Health System Focus: The U.S. healthcare system primarily focuses on treating people after they become sick, rather than preventing diseases, contributing to the rise in chronic diseases.
• Biology of ageing: ageing is the leading risk factor for most chronic diseases, and understanding the biology behind it could help prevent these conditions simultaneously.
• Life Expectancy vs. Healthspan: While life expectancy has increased, the overall healthspan (time spent in good health) hasn't kept pace, with many people spending decades managing chronic diseases.
• Importance of Geroscience: Targeting the biological processes of ageing, known as geroscience, holds the potential to extend healthspan and prevent age-related diseases.
• Policy Reforms: To support longevity science, reforms are needed in areas like FDA regulation, federal research funding, and healthcare reimbursement to focus on prevention and proactive care.
• Optimizing Health Today: Simple lifestyle changes—such as better diet, exercise, and sleep—already show potential to extend healthspan by slowing the biological ageing process.