Life extension is the concept of extending the human lifespan, either
modestly through improvements in medicine or dramatically by
increasing the maximum lifespan beyond its generally-settled limit of
125 years. The technology to achieve such dramatic changes, however,
does not currently exist.Several researchers in the area, along with
"life extensionists", "immortalists" or "longevists" (those who wish
to achieve longer lives themselves), postulate that future
breakthroughs in tissue rejuvenation, stem cells, regenerative
medicine, molecular repair, gene therapy, pharmaceuticals and organ
replacement (such as with artificial organs or xenotransplantations)
will eventually enable humans to have indefinite lifespans (agerasia)
through complete rejuvenation to a healthy youthful condition. The
ethical ramifications, if life extension becomes a possibility, are
debated by bioethicists.The sale of purported anti-aging products such
as supplements and hormone replacement is a lucrative global industry.
For example, the industry that promotes the use of hormones as a
treatment for consumers to slow or reverse the aging process in the US
market generated about $50 billion of revenue a year in 2009. The use
of such products, however, has not been proven to be effective or
safe.During the process of aging, an organism accumulates damage to
its macromolecules, cells, tissues, and organs. Specifically, aging is
characterized as and thought to be caused by "genomic instability,
telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis,
deregulated nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular
senescence, stem cell exhaustion, and altered intercellular
communication." Oxidation damage to cellular contents caused by free
radicals is believed to contribute to aging as well.
modestly through improvements in medicine or dramatically by
increasing the maximum lifespan beyond its generally-settled limit of
125 years. The technology to achieve such dramatic changes, however,
does not currently exist.Several researchers in the area, along with
"life extensionists", "immortalists" or "longevists" (those who wish
to achieve longer lives themselves), postulate that future
breakthroughs in tissue rejuvenation, stem cells, regenerative
medicine, molecular repair, gene therapy, pharmaceuticals and organ
replacement (such as with artificial organs or xenotransplantations)
will eventually enable humans to have indefinite lifespans (agerasia)
through complete rejuvenation to a healthy youthful condition. The
ethical ramifications, if life extension becomes a possibility, are
debated by bioethicists.The sale of purported anti-aging products such
as supplements and hormone replacement is a lucrative global industry.
For example, the industry that promotes the use of hormones as a
treatment for consumers to slow or reverse the aging process in the US
market generated about $50 billion of revenue a year in 2009. The use
of such products, however, has not been proven to be effective or
safe.During the process of aging, an organism accumulates damage to
its macromolecules, cells, tissues, and organs. Specifically, aging is
characterized as and thought to be caused by "genomic instability,
telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis,
deregulated nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular
senescence, stem cell exhaustion, and altered intercellular
communication." Oxidation damage to cellular contents caused by free
radicals is believed to contribute to aging as well.
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