by Samantha Manning, CMG Washington News Bureau
WASHINGTON D.C. — The anti-aging market is a multi-billion-dollar industry.
We’ve all seen the ads selling the idea that looking and feeling youthful is better. But it’s not only about the superficial changes we face when we age.
Getting older also means a higher chance of health complications.
Members of Congress heard from scientists Thursday about efforts to extend the amount of time a person lives with good health, which can also translate into slowing down the aging process.
Testimony before the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight said there is now testing being done on aging interventions on humans through small FDA-approved clinical trials.
The goal is to develop aging therapeutics to lower the risk of diseases and health conditions associated with old age.
“These advances will not generate a fountain of youth in the colloquial sense but it will fundamentally change what it means to grow old,” said Dr. Jay Olshansky, professor of public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “We will remain younger longer. Retain our youthful vigor for an extended period of time and compress everything we don’t like about aging into a shorter duration of time at the end of life.”