Phelan, Christine

Throughout recorded history there have been accounts of trying to slow and reverse the natural aging process. From the quest for the Fountain of Youth, to the discovery of telomeric degradation, aging has been a hot research topic for centuries. Due to an aging population, anti-aging research has become a magnet for geneticists and researchers. There is great hope in the strive towards anti-aging therapies, and a variation of methods have been developed that have experimentally slowed aging. Yet the biggest hurdle for anti-aging researchers is to try and balance improving lifespan without compromising, or even ignoring, healthspan. Quality of health, or one’s healthspan, is necessary to consider when developing ethical anti-aging therapies. In this review, research behind aging processes and anti-aging therapies will be presented, and the benefits and/or ethical dilemmas that arise will be discussed.

Throughout recorded history there have been accounts of trying to slow and reverse the
natural aging process. From the quest for the Fountain of Youth, to the discovery of telomeric
degradation, aging has been a hot research topic for centuries. Due to an aging population,
anti-aging research has become a magnet for geneticists and researchers. There is great hope in
the strive towards anti-aging therapies, and a variation of methods have been developed that have
experimentally slowed aging. Yet the biggest hurdle for anti-aging researchers is to try and
balance improving lifespan without compromising, or even ignoring, healthspan. Quality of
health, or one’s healthspan, is necessary to consider when developing ethical anti-aging
therapies. In this review, research behind aging processes and anti-aging therapies will be
presented, and the benefits and/or ethical dilemmas that arise will be discussed.