I turned 64 last week. I've already passed the turning point in my life.
According to a report by Nissei Research Institute, the average life expectancy of a 65-year-old male as of 2016 is about 20 years, so on average, he will live to 85 years old. Of that, the healthy life expectancy is 14 years, so they can manage to live until they are about 79 years old with no problems in their daily lives.
In other words, we're going to live with some kind of hindrance for six years before the end of our life.
Women live longer than men to about 90 years of age, but this extends to eight years of disability.
It is considered natural that as we age, our bodies gradually stop listening to us and we develop a variety of diseases.
Ideally, the ideal situation would be "pinkoro," that is, to be in good health until just before death, and then to be dead before you know it, but that can only happen to the most fortunate people.
However, a book was published that says not so much. The book is called LIFE SPAN: Why We Age-and Why We Don't Have To.
Aging is behind the causes of deadly diseases. In other words, aging itself should be viewed as a disease causing disease, argues author David A. Sinclair, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.
If we view aging as a disease, many people will be able to get treatment and live longer and healthier than ever before.
The book consists of three major parts.
- what we know about aging (past)
- what we are learning (now)
- where are we going (future)?
Aging is caused by the deterioration of information in the body
The bases adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine are responsible for the genetic information in DNA. Adenine is thymine. Guanine can only be paired with cytosine, so it is digital information.
Digital methods of DNA have the advantage of being able to store and copy information reliably. However, it is not perfect.
When our cells divide, DNA replicates are made. During this process, some of them do not replicate properly and become damaged. The number of times that this happens is said to be up to two trillion times a day. The accumulation of such damage deteriorates the information in the DNA. In addition, the DNA is also damaged by environmental factors such as chemical substances and radiation. This is how DNA information is gradually lost.
A separate genetic information system from this blueprint DNA is called the epigenome.
The epigenome decides which of the genetic information in DNA, the blueprint, will be used, and instructs and coordinates what kind of cell it will become when it has just divided.
The epigenome uses an analog format for recording and storing information in order to adapt to the environment. The advantage of this method is that it is flexible and can be adapted to changes in the environment. The disadvantage is that the information is lost over time.
DNA damage and information degradation of the epigenome are thought to be the causes of aging.
However, the body also has a mechanism to repair DNA damage when it occurs. If this mechanism were not in place, we would die at an earlier stage. The author calls this repair function a 'survival circuit'.
Strengthening this "survival circuit" can prevent aging.
These studies are making progress and we are finding out what we can do to extend our healthy lifespan. In addition, it appears that drugs that can treat aging are being developed.
In the not-too-distant future. Perhaps the life expectancy of people younger than today's 40-year-olds is steadily increasing, and the average life expectancy will be around 120 years.
Then, at my age 64, I have just turned the corner in our lives. Naturally, the nature of society will have to change dramatically.
The text alone is nearly 500 pages, but I hope many people will read it.
