The global improvement in health indicators and the shift of the main medical problem from infections to chronic diseases and aging was analysed by Dr. Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D., Biomedical Gerontologist; Founder, President & Chief Science Officer, LEV Foundation during the CYPRUS EMEA Healthspan Summit.
As he noted, at a global level, the average life expectancy has increased significantly and currently stands at approximately 73 years, with developing countries rapidly approaching the levels of the developed world. He indicated that even in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, the average reaches approximately 50 years, which shows, as he said, the significant progress of recent decades.
De Grey also stressed that the drastic reduction in deaths from infectious diseases, thanks to tools such as antibiotics, hygiene and prevention measures, has radically changed the medical landscape. However, he stressed that the same has not happened with diseases that appear in older ages, which remain largely uncontrolled.
He noted that the dominant perception still treats aging as something separate from disease and as a field outside of medical intervention. This approach, he said, limits progress, as it prevents it from being systematically addressed.
Developing his own view, he explained that aging can be understood as the combination of two biological processes: metabolism, which keeps the organism alive but gradually produces cellular and molecular “damage”, and the accumulation of this damage over time, to the point that it leads to dysfunction of the organism.
In an interesting speech, the internationally renowned speaker concluded by saying that this accumulated biological "wear and tear" is the core of aging and the root cause of many of the diseases of old age, placing aging at the center of modern medical debate as a process that can be approached scientifically.
The CYPRUS EMEA Healthspan Summit was organised by the St. Moritz Longevity Forum in strategic partnership with the MHV Group.
(Source: InBusinessNews)
