{"id":6291,"date":"2016-07-04T00:48:37","date_gmt":"2016-07-04T00:48:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rationalargumentator.com\/index\/?p=6291"},"modified":"2016-07-04T00:58:12","modified_gmt":"2016-07-04T00:58:12","slug":"postpone-grim-reaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rationalargumentator.com\/index\/blog\/2016\/07\/postpone-grim-reaper\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Time to Postpone Your Appointment with the Grim Reaper – Article by Gerrard Jayaratnam"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"The<\/a>Gerrard Jayaratnam<\/span>
\n<\/big><\/big><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
******************************<\/div>\n
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How long would you like to live for? Is there a limit to how long we can live for? These are not questions you hear often, but do not be surprised if they are repeated more frequently in the future. The reason? Life extension.<\/em> It is the concept of living well beyond the average lifespan. [1]<\/p>\n

Humans are already living longer due to vaccines and improvements in sanitation. [2] The World Health Organization reported that the average life expectancy at birth increased from 48 years in 1955 to 65 years in 1995, and is projected to rise to 73 years by 2025. [3] As medical techniques continue to improve, we are more inclined than ever to pursue life extension. [1] Indeed, from the Epic of Gilgamesh<\/em> to China\u2019s First Emperor, prolonging life has been an ever-present thought in society. [4, 5] Both individuals failed to escape death, but the idea of life extension ironically lives on. Even so, is it truly possible and what should upcoming doctors and scientists consider if they are to join the most ambitious of quests?<\/p>\n

The \u201cHorcruxes\u201d of reality\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

In the fictional Harry Potter<\/em> series, \u201cHorcruxes\u201d were objects where people could hide a fragment of their soul in an attempt to take one step towards immortality. [6] Of course, humans cannot split their souls and hide them in objects, but there are several proposed means by which life extension may be achieved. [1] This is a testimony to the progress within the life extension field, but there remains much room for improvement.<\/p>\n

Eat less, live more<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caloric restriction (CR) is one proposed method for life extension. [1] In the CALERIE (C<\/strong>omprehensive A<\/strong>ssessment of L<\/strong>ong term E<\/strong>ffects of R<\/strong>educing I<\/strong>ntake of E<\/strong>nergy) trial, 218 non-obese humans were randomised to either a control group or an intervention group. The latter aimed for a 25% reduction from baseline energy intake. At the end of the 2-year study period, the intervention group had significantly greater reductions in circulating levels of TNF-\u03b1 \u2013 an inflammatory marker involved in many age-related diseases. [7] Dr Alexander Miras, winner of the 2014 Nutrition Society Cuthbertson Medal for his research on bariatric surgery, acknowledges that the study was a \u201cgood first step,\u201d but argues that \u201cthe evidence in humans is lacking.\u201d \u201cA definitive RCT (randomised controlled trial),\u201d Dr Miras continues, \u201cwould be very hard, if not impossible.\u201d He also spots a glaring consequence of CR. \u201cMy personal approach is to avoid caloric restriction as this leads to hunger which is an unpleasant feeling. I would rather live a shorter life, but enjoy my food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manipulating telomerase<\/strong><\/p>\n

One alternative is modulating telomerase activity \u2013 as attempted with the anti-ageing TA-65MD\u00ae supplement. [8] Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes [9]; they resemble the aglets on the ends of shoelaces. Just as shoelaces would unravel without the aglet, chromosomes would lose vital DNA sequences in the absence of telomeres. [9] Our cells divide over time, causing telomeres to shorten. Once the telomere becomes too short, cell division ceases, and short telomeres correlate with cellular ageing. [10] Telomerase is an enzyme that can oppose telomere shortening [10] \u2013 it was what Hamlet was to King Claudius; what exercise is to obesity; and what junior doctors, in England, will be to Jeremy Hunt.<\/p>\n

Reactivating telomerase in telomerase-deficient mice reversed both neurodegeneration and degeneration of other organs. [11] This proved the concept that boosting telomerase activity could have anti-ageing effects, but there is little proof that this occurs in humans. While the mice were telomerase-deficient, humans normally have some telomerase activity. It is like giving food to someone who has been fasting for hours and to someone who has just eaten a three-course meal \u2013 the starved individual would unquestionably benefit more. A 12-month long RCT, involving 117 relatively healthy individuals (age range: 53-87), found that low-dose TA-65 significantly increased telomere length when compared to placebo. High-dose TA-65, however, failed to do so. [12]<\/p>\n

Dancing with the devil<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is more worrying than treatments that may be ineffective? Side effects.<\/em> Telomerase is a double-edged sword and by reducing telomere attrition, it can promote unlimited cell division and cancer. [9] Elizabeth Blackburn, co-winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize<\/em> in Physiology or Medicine for her role in the discovery of telomerase, has doubts about exploiting the enzyme. Speaking to TIME<\/em> magazine, she said, \u201cCancers love telomerase, and a number of cancers up-regulate it like crazy. . . . My feeling would be that if I take anything that would push my telomerase up, I\u2019m playing with fire.\u201d [13]<\/p>\n

A cauldron of rewards<\/strong><\/p>\n

CR and boosting telomerase activity are just a small sample of life extending techniques, yet there is the notion that such techniques will be intertwined with risks. However, risks are always weighed against rewards, and Gennady Stolyarov, editor-in-chief of The Rational Argumentator<\/em> and Chief Executive of the Nevada Transhumanist Party, believes life extension would bring \u201cimmense and multifaceted\u201d rewards. \u201cThe greatest benefit is the continued existence of the individual who remains alive. Each individual has incalculable moral value and is a universe of ideas, experiences, emotions, and memories. When a person dies, that entire universe is extinguished . . . This is the greatest possible loss, and should be averted if at all possible.\u201d Stolyarov also envisages \u201cmajor savings to healthcare systems\u201d and that \u201cthe achievement of significant life extension would inspire many intelligent people to try to solve other age-old problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former chairman of the President\u2019s Council on Bioethics, Leon Kass, disagrees with this view and argues that mortality is necessary for \u201ctreasuring and appreciating all that life brings.\u201d [14] Hence, increased longevity could lead to an overall reduction in productivity over one\u2019s lifetime. Perhaps Kass is correct, but the array of potential benefits makes it seem unwise to prematurely dismiss life extension. In fact, a survey, which examined the opinions of 605 Australians on life extension, highlighted further benefits \u2013 23% of participants said they could \u201cspend more time with family\u201d and 4% cited the opportunity to experience future societies. [15]<\/p>\n

Learning from our mistakes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Conversely, life extension may result in people enduring poor health for longer periods. 28% of participants in the Australian survey highlighted this concern. [15] Current trends in life expectancy reinforce their fears. Professor Janet Lord, director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham, explains, \u201cCurrently, in most countries in the developed world, life expectancy is increasing at approximately 2 years per decade, but healthspan (the years spent in good health) is only increasing at 1.7 years. This has major consequences . . . as more of later life is spent in poor health.\u201d This is a consequence of treating \u201ckiller diseases\u201d \u2013 according to Dr Felipe Sierra, director of the Division of Aging Biology at the National Institute on Aging. \u201cThe current model in biomedicine,\u201d says Dr Sierra, \u201cis to treat one disease at a time. Let\u2019s imagine you have arthritis; cancer; and are starting to develop Alzheimer\u2019s disease. So what do we do? We treat you for cancer. You now live longer with Alzheimer\u2019s disease and arthritis.\u201d A better approach is clear to Dr Sierra who stresses the importance of compression of morbidity \u2013 \u201cthe goal is to live longer with less time spent being sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning from our successes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even with Dr Sierra\u2019s approach, individual boredom and social implications, including overpopulation, would still be problems.[16] According to Stolyarov, the boredom argument does not hold up when facing \u201chuman creativity and discovery.\u201d He believes humans could never truly be bored as \u201cthe number of possible pursuits increases far faster than the ability of any individual to pursue.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his novel Death is Wrong<\/em>, Stolyarov explained that the idea that society could not cope with a rapidly expanding population was historically inaccurate. The current population \u201cis the highest it has ever been, and most people live far longer, healthier, prosperous lives than their ancestors did when the Earth\u2019s population was hundreds of times smaller.\u201d [16] If it has been achieved in the past, who is to say our own society \u2013 one far more advanced than any before it \u2013 cannot adapt?<\/p>\n

The verdict <\/strong><\/p>\n

Life extension research is quietly progressing, and there is a good chance that it will eventually come to fruition. Although there are doubts about current techniques, Dr Sierra draws attention to novel interventions, such as rapamycin, which \u201cdelay ageing in mice.\u201d He concludes that the next challenge is to \u201cdevelop measures than can predict whether an intervention works in a short-term assay.\u201d Such measures would provide the scaffolding for future clinical trials that test life extension techniques.<\/p>\n

Given what may be gained, it is no surprise that artificially prolonging life is exciting some in the same way the Tree of Knowledge tempted Eve. The impact on society? Impossible to predict. It would undoubtedly be a big risk, but perhaps in this complex and uncertain scenario, we ought to remember the words of the poet Thomas Stearns Eliot: \u201cOnly those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go<\/em>.\u201d [17]<\/p>\n

Gerrard Jayaratnam is a student of Biomedical Science at Imperial College London.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Stambler I. A History of Life-Extensionism in the Twentieth Century<\/a>. Ramat Gan: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 2014.<\/li>\n
  2. National Institute on Aging. Living Longer. 2011. https:\/\/www.nia.nih.gov\/research\/publication\/global-health-and-aging\/living-longer<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  3. World Health Organization. 50 Facts: Global Health situation and trends 1955-2025. 2013. http:\/\/www.who.int\/whr\/1998\/media_centre\/50facts\/en\/<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  4. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Epic of Gilgamesh. 2016. http:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Epic-of-Gilgamesh<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  5. Lloyd DF. The Man Who Would Cheat Death and Rule the Universe. Vision. 2008. http:\/\/www.vision.org\/visionmedia\/history-shi-huang-emperor-china\/5818.aspx<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  6. Rowling JK. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. London: Bloomsbury Publishing; 2005.<\/li>\n
  7. Ravussin E, Redman LM, Rochon J, et al. A 2-Year Randomized Controlled Trial of Human Caloric Restriction: Feasibility and Effects on Predictors of Health Span and Longevity. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2015;70:1097-1104.<\/li>\n
  8. A. Sciences. What is TA-65\u00ae? (n.d.) [Accessed 3rd April 2016]. https:\/\/www.tasciences.com\/what-is-ta-65\/<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  9. De Jesus BB, Blasco MA. Telomerase at the intersection of cancer and aging. Trends Genet 2013;29:513-520.<\/li>\n
  10. A. Sciences. Telomeres and Cellular Aging. (n.d.) [Accessed 3rd April 2016]. https:\/\/www.tasciences.com\/telomeres-and-cellular-aging\/<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  11. Jaskelioff M, Muller FL, Paik JH, et al. Telomerase reactivation reverses tissue degeneration in aged telomerase deficient mice. Nature 2011;469:102-106.<\/li>\n
  12. Salvador L, Singaravelu G, Harley CB, et al. A Natural Product Telomerase Activator Lengthens Telomeres in Humans: A Randomized, Double Blind, and Placebo Controlled Study. Rejuvenation Res 2016; ahead of print. doi:10.1089\/rej.2015.1793.<\/li>\n
  13. Kluger J. The antiaging power of a positive attitude. TIME. 2015.<\/li>\n
  14. Than K. The Psychological Strain of Living Forever. Live Science. 2006. http:\/\/www.livescience.com\/10469-psychological-strain-living.html<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  15. Partridge B, Lucke J, Bartlett H, et al. Ethical, social, and personal implications of extended human lifespan identified by members of the public. Rejuvenation Res 2009;12:351-357.<\/li>\n
  16. Stolyarov II G. Death is Wrong<\/a>. 2nd ed. Carson City, Nevada: Rational Argumentator Press; 2013.<\/li>\n
  17. The Huffington Post. 11 Beautiful T.S. Eliot Quotes. 2013. http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2013\/09\/26\/ts-eliot-quotes_n_3996010.html<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Gerrard Jayaratnam ****************************** How long would you like to live for? Is there a limit to how long we can live for? These are not questions you hear often, but do not be surprised if they are repeated more frequently in the future. The reason? Life extension. It is the concept of living well beyond the average lifespan. [1] Humans are already living longer due to vaccines and improvements in sanitation. [2] The World Health Organization reported that the average…<\/p>\n

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