Lifespan: Why We Age – and Why We Don't Have To

 This is the title of a book by David Sinclair an Australian-American scientist on Genetics and Longevity. The sentence makes one want to read the book as all of us experience aging, resign ourselves to it's inevitability while wanting to have nothing to do with it. Let me make it clear, I have no intention to endorse this book except raise the question in the context of Vedanta or life and try to give an answer to myself and share the same with you my reader. 

Lifespan is a term related to the food chain and if we left everything to nature. I recollect reading about a demilitarized zone between North and South Korea where an area untouched by human development showed a revival of bio-diversity and species which was so remarkable, that there was a call to protect this area. So this is probably what is meant by life span of various forms of life. The remarkable complexity of life from a single cellular creature to complex multi-cellular mammals intermingling with the environment and other creatures makes it difficult to answer the question posed. Lifespan: Why we Age and Why we don't have to? A book which addresses this is certainly something which arouses my curiosity. 

In the race to survival there are complex food chains which lead to a harmonious co-existence 

This is an illustration of the complexity of life and the species. Homo Sapiens by virtue of a larger brain at the cost of poorer sense organs and poor physical strength have constantly stretched the boundaries of survival. Yet, there seem to be limitations of age and ageing which man has not been able to overcome. Scientific advances have increased the possibility of detecting and curing disease earlier. Revolutionary cures and if not cures, controls over ailments which a generation ago were killers are routine nowadays. However, like the hydra headed monster the threat to mankind from the ravages of noncommunicable diseases, microbial drug resistant diseases, incurable viruses have resurfaced time and again. To top all this the effects of environment in the form of pollution, climate change are there to be seen. Besides this our constant urge to acquire and enjoy as though there is no tomorrow leads to further damage. 

The sum effect today as we speak is that while lifespan has increased over the last century from early 40's to 80 and above, the end has not been pleasant. We age  physically and mentally at different rates, but it is a very rare person who crosses hundred and is healthy at that stage. Scriptures of all religions talk of mythical creatures living long lives and humans consuming the elixir of life, conferring longevity and in some cases immortality or death by wish. 

I have looked at persons around me or contemporaries of the last century. Our Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi in his lifetime expressed a wish to live a long life (125 years).  He had a lean constitution, had frugal food habits and lived a life of an ascetic. He had great stamina, used to practice fasting very often and I think intermittent fasting was the norm. He subjected himself to hardship and exercised a lot. He believed in physical labor. His food was measured and contained the super foods which we believe are capable of increasing life span. In my present life Late, Dr. Vijaya Venkat and her daughter Dr. Anju Venkat have advocated lifestyle modifications and diet reform to increase te quality of health. 

The book makes a fervent plea to look at ageing as a disease and not an inevitable natural end. The 3 important lessons derived from the book are as follows:

1. The main reason for aging is the loss of information in the DNA; but this can be helped or modified.
2. Genes can be programmed to live longer and preserve themselves. 
3. Telomere shortening is directly linked to ageing. 

Genes are fragile and can alter if not taken care of when cells are subjected to stress and abuse. The epigenome is the controller of this process and can go horribly wrong is times of stress or adversity. This can result in specialized functional cells becoming unstructured. The use of supplements and superfoods can reverse these trends by activating genetic repair and stopping reproduction temporarily. 

All areas of the world known to inhabited by persons living healthy independent lives have been known to consume natural plant based diets. There is a low intake of animal protein and a tendency to fast. A good amount of exercise, subjecting the body to stress along with enough sleep are added factors to increase healthy lifespan. 

Damaged DNA can lead to accumulation of senescent cells which remain in body and at times resurface and cause damage. These can accelerate ageing and in turn removal of these cells can help in cellular repair and increase a healthy lifespan.

The very intriguing aspect of this book is the ability of the cells, genes and epigenetic codes to act in adversity and good times in the best interest of the cell. Trusting the cells to self heal should be the most important healing mechanism. Many mammals and trees have had long lifespans way beyond the 80-100 years we see in humans. The similarity between cells, fungi and other organisms have helped create research models which help in extrapolating results to human beings

Theoretically, if enough resources are directed towards research on the prevention of ageing many of us today in their 50's and 60's can look forward to a 50-60 more healthy years lifespan. This may be available selectively for the privileged classes. When we know that we have long productive lives to live, our attitude to life and ageing can change dramatically. Advances in the use of wearable monitoring devices will result in huge amount of authentic data. These will be analyzed using Artificial Intelligence models capable of detecting disease before their manifestation. Customized solutions and recommendations will further improve healthcare outcomes and increase lifespan. The cost of healthcare and end of life suffering will reduce dramatically or even become non-existent. So is immortality possible? Theoretically the answer is positive but when is something one is not sure of as yet.  

A question of the capacity of the planet to sustain this huge population can be raised especially with the replication of the wasteful American lifestyle. The climate change doomsday predictions may be overcome by technological advances and switching to less wasteful lifestyles. Incentivizing the trading in carbon footprint impacts will have a far greater impact than appeals to reason. Long healthy lives with the advantage of the wisdom and intellectual power which come from experience can have immense benefits for humanity. 

The possibilities are endless and science seems to explain everything. Spiritual knowledge talks of the Real Self vs Unreal self. That which is unchanging permanent and tending to infinity is real, but that which is changing, temporary and finite is unreal. Will these definitions stand the test of time or will science change the reality forever?. The three states of Consciousness are Awake, Dream state and Deep sleep. When we are in each of them we seem certain that the state in which we exist is real and the rest is unreal. Therefore, the scriptures of the world describe the fourth state of consciousness which go beyond these three states and which is the only reality. The certainty of the cycle of Creation, Preservation and Destruction leading to evolution and involution is what maintains sanity and balance in the world and the universe. Science wants to explain by means of genetic and epigenetic information that it is possible to act to modify all this information and prolong life substantially or even indefinitely. 

Personally, I have always wanted to live a long and deeply meaningful life. Is that goal within grasp of humanity, time alone will tell. Our ignorance is far greater than knowledge and there are no answers to the unseen. The law of causation is a universal law that keeps up the inner harmony and the logical order of the universe. I do not think it will change and  we will continue in our quest for Self Realization. 

Dr. Vispi Jokhi