I would like to thank the Kitalys Institute for organizing an enjoyable conversation on Targeting Healthy Longevity with a panel of top experts and policymakers in human longevity held on May 3, 2024. The event provided the audience with latest ideas, thoughts, inspiration, and prospects about the path ahead in the discovery, development, and regulation of interventions aimed to improve a healthier longevity in the world.
Below is a summary of key points with added commentary of my own.
Infectious diseases earlier in life may encourage aging
Most research and discoveries on healthy aging focus on autoimmune response, inflammation, cellular aging, metabolism, and chronic diseases. Yet, infectious diseases may significantly affect cellular function that promotes aging. It is now known that viral infections such as those of mononucleosis or COVID may have long-term effects on health that promote aging. Thus, preventing and effectively managing infectious diseases at their start are key steps to reduce chronic disease that negatively affects a healthy longevity later in life. More research and data linking the effects of early and mid-life communicable diseases on aging is needed since most studies refer to the effects of communicable disease susceptibility primarily in old age.
Environmental, economic, and social factors change the fundamentals of human biology
People aim to be at their healthiest, yet non-controllable external factors such as living nearby a polluted area, working long hours under stress, and social isolation may promote aging. Healthy longevity is not just about focusing only on medical condition, what to eat, the quality of sleep, or how much a person exercises. In this sense, the field of the Exposome will finally have its moment and will open wider opportunities to exciting research and innovation in longevity.
The life expectancy in the United States continues to lag other developed economies
The health expenditure per capita in the United States is the highest in the world, yet the life expectancy of Americans is declining. Many individuals are skipping preventive interventions, engaging in risky behaviors, and/or delaying care because they can’t afford it. Indeed, healthcare is truly becoming a luxury.
Exciting discoveries related to Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) to lead longevity possibilities
According to the National Institutes of Health, GLP-1 agonists represented by drug discoveries such as Dulaglutide (Trulicity), Liraglutide (Victoza), Semaglutide (Ozempic), and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are driving longevity scientists to discover, make, and confirm connections of metabolic syndrome, chronic inflammation, and immune dysregulation with aging conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and post-infection effects. Worth checking are the fascinating trends and demographic profile of GLP-1 use in the United States according to the American Pharmacists Association. Check them out here.
Primary care is the starting point for healthy longevity
The prospects for primary care in the US don’t look good. According to The State of the Health Workforce report published by the Bureau of Health Workforce in November 2023, the projections are sobering. In 2022 there were an estimated 268,000 primary care physicians (PCPs), 270,660 nurse practitioners (NPs), and 26,455 Physician Assistants/Associates (PAs). Projections show a shortage of 68,020 PCPs full-time equivalent by the year 2036. Of the active PCPs, 39% are family medicine, 38% are internists, 21% are pediatricians, and a dismal 2% are geriatricians. This last figure is overly concerning since geriatricians lead the most complex medical cases of all primary care, on top of the fact that 38% of the US population will be over 65 years by 2035.
Telehealth has helped fill in the gaps of primary care, and where 26% of PCPs use telehealth often, and 47% occasionally.
Given the pressing issues about helping the US population to move toward a healthier longevity, the Primary Care Research Network initiative by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is now focusing on gathering data on underrepresented communities. Health institutions are not properly leveraging Electronic Health Records (EHRs), so the NIH wants to gather all EHRs to fill in the gaps and provide affordable and accessible innovations to all the population. More science and funding are needed in gene therapy to understand and help reduce some aging processes.
Looking ahead
Human longevity goals should not solely focus on encouraging people to live to 100 years; rather, there are more pressing priorities to improve the health and quality of life of most people. Affordable access to healthcare via primary care along with a deeper investment in the research of the exposome on human biology can potentially contribute huge leaps toward a true longevity.
Are you aware of how the products and services you offer to people are affecting their longevity? Everything has an impact on human longevity.
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Monica Feldman is the Founder of Longevity Ruler, an advisory firm that stretches your mind about what it means to live longer.
This article was written with my own words. No AI. Excuse my typos. I’m only human.
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