Are You Dying to Stop Aging? "Beware of Gerontologists Bearing Gifts" Professor David Demko, PhD AgeVenture News Service Why should society fund academic research on aging when private sector vendors already have "anti-aging" cures flying off the shelves and into the hands of unsuspecting consumers? Good question. Here's the answer. "Anti-aging" medicine might indeed prevent you from aging. In some cases, it just might kill you. “There is as yet no convincing evidence that administration of any specific compound, natural or artificial, can globally slow aging in people..." says Dr. Robert N. Butler. Yet “anti-aging” medicine is a “multi-billion dollar industry in the U.S.”. The industry “is under the control of non-scientists who use terms like ‘virtual immortality’ and ‘an ageless society’ to attract customers to untested remedies that have not withstood the rigors of serious clinical trials” and that often have dangerous side effects. Even without scientific breakthroughs, the experts estimate that people in industrialized countries could achieve “at least a ten-year increase” in average life expectancy by eating less and exercising more: “Half the U.S. population is overweight, 20 percent is obese, and only 15 percent of people over the age of 65 regularly exercise, says Butler. Our diets are overwhelmingly conducive to the development of coronary artery disease, and far too many of us still use tobacco products.” In response to the explosive nature of the "anti-aging" culture, the National Institute on Aging is considering a comprehensive program for testing the possibilities of life-extension remedies. Such remedies include restricted-calorie diets, genetic and chromosomal manipulation, and treatments with antioxidants, hormones like estrogen and growth hormone, and stem cells. Many aspects of "anti-aging" are harmful and downright dangerous. The most dangerous aspect may very well be the undermining of research that produces cures that DO work. "Anti-aging" is like a bad joke. America says, "STOP, YOU'RE KILLING ME. BACK TO TOP