The Useless Side of Aging Research

A long piece from the Globe and Mail looks at the folk behind supplement makers Juvenon and TA Sciences. Supplements are not the way forward, are utterly unimportant in the grand scheme of what is possible through scientific research, but somehow attract all the attention: "Once considered a fringe field littered with charlatans and quacks, anti-aging research has entered its prime. Respected scientists are pursuing regenerative medicine through stem cells, searching for clues to longevity in the genes of fruit flies, flat worms and really old men and women. Dozens of legitimate companies are developing anti-aging drugs. ... We have all the tools - we understand genes, metabolism, and these things are much easier [now] to measure and manipulate. I think we can push back all the degenerative diseases of aging. I think we can add a few years to everyone's life." No supplement or drug being sold now can do as much for a healthy person - or has anywhere near the weight of science backing it - as exercise and calorie restriction.

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090109.wtelomeres-DONOTPOST/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

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