Headline November 30, 2018/ '' ' WE WILL ALL DIE ' ''

'' ' WE WILL ALL DIE ' ''

''WE WILL ALL DIE,'' says...Scientist Professor Dr. S Jay Olshansky, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

''No serious scientist believes in immortality.'' And there is an upper limit how long we can live -''about 85 years''.

'In the courts where Jamshed and Kakaobad gloried deep,
Now the Lions, Lizards and the Snakes keep-
And Bahram the great hunter,.............
Over his grave an ass stands, while he lies fast asleep.'

Poet, Mathematician, Astronomer, Astrologer, Philosopher, Mystic, Omar Khayyam, for you all.

There is a considerable dispute, however, over how long humans might live under optimal circumstances. In 2016, a team of scientists declared the upper limit to be 115 years.

But in June, researchers reviewing death rates among elderly Italians suggested that there maybe no limit at all.

In animal studies over the last few decades, scientists have begun to understand the specific cellular and molecular processes that cause the deteriorations of old age. 

STUDYING DISEASE connected to aging fuels debate on limits...........

If drugs can treat aging, is aging itself a disease? No, Dr. Nir Barzilai, a professor of medicine at the  Albert Einstein School of Medicine, is planning a study to metformin, a drug that has been used for 60 years to treat diabetes and has been shown to be effective against several age-related diseases.

''If drugs can treat aging, is aging itself a disease?.......... No, Dr. Barzilai said.

''Neither I nor the Food and Drug Administration is interested in calling ageing a disease. Our study is to show that we can prevent composite of age-related diseases - cardiovascular, cancer, cognitive - and ultimately affect mortality.

Another drug candidate involves a coenzyme called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or N.A.D.

It functions in cell respiration, moving electrons into the mitochondria where energy is produced.

As people age, levels of N.A.D. decline to the point where it is undetectable in the blood of the elderly.

David A. Sinclair, a professor of genetics at Harvard, is working on methods of replenishing those levels. In studies of yeast, worms, flies and mice, ''that replenishing rapidly reverses some aspects of aging,'' he said.

''And now there are trials underway in humans.''

[N.A,D, is already peddled in health food stores, but scientists like Dr. Barzilai says it's a bad idea to take a nutraceutical to extend life - or even an established medication like metformin - until the clinical data are in.]

One widely published researcher in the field, S. Jay Olshansky, a professor of epidemiology at the  University of  Illinois at Chicago, said there is an upper limit to how long we can live - about 85 years.

''Parts of the body, including the brain, are not designed for long-term  use,'' he said. ''We're seeing the consequences of pushing the limits of survival : the rise of Alzheimer's disease, dementia's, joint and hip problems, loss of muscle mass.''

''These are not consequence of failure, but of success,'' he added, Dr. OIshansky advocates extending  ''health span, not life span.''

We will all die. No serious scientist believes in immortality. But we also are closer to assuring healthier old age than ever before.

''There are dozens of companies in clinical trials, or planning them, tackling all the different clauses of aging,'' Dr. Sinclair said.

''I'm optimistic that there will be a few successes in the coming years.'' 

With respectful dedication to the Leaders, Grandparents, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world.

See Ya all prepare for Global Elections and ''register'' on : wssciw.blogspot.com - The World Students Society - for every subject in the world and Twitter -!E-WOW! - the Ecosystem 2011:

''' Personal Health '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless