Longer life - but do we want it?

Want to live longer? As it turns out, we may have the answer.

A report in the last issue of Science showed a dramatic difference between the life span of two different sets of rhesus monkeys in a 20-year study. The results were so shocking that scientists have already begun seeking additional funding for another 20 years of research.

One scientist called the findings “simply incredible.” In the study, nearly three times as many control monkeys died than test monkeys, a remarkable achievement even in the most selective of environments.

So what is the magic formula for long life? Calorie restriction. Boy, that’s exciting. After 20 years and millions of dollars, researchers at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed us all that 38 starved monkeys lived longer than their slothful, indulgent counterparts.

By decreasing the test monkeys’ calorie intake by 30 percent, the rhesus monkeys were shown to have 70 percent fewer instances of cancer, heart disease or other age-related conditions. Furthermore, test monkeys exhibited greater mental capacities and energy levels while the control monkeys exhibited noticeable signs of aging: wrinkles, hair loss and slumping posture.

And it seems as though the good news doesn’t end there. Researchers at the National Institute on Aging’s Interventions Testing Program matched this study by showing that the common drug rapamycin exhibits similar effects of calorie restriction. At last, the elixir for long life. Now all we have to do is take a pill and we can live longer.

But while these findings are surely a step toward the ultimate goal of a long and healthy life, they are far from groundbreaking. The Institute for Aging Research reported two years ago that women under 5 feet 2 inches and 105 pounds are more likely to live longer than any other demographic. Thus, there seems to be at least some link to low weight and long life.

The late 20th century technological boom helped advance anti-aging research methods and expanded the field of biogerontology, which deals with age-related issues. But the real increase in anti-aging attention comes as baby boomers seek geriatric care.

With nearly one in five Americans over the age of 65, the demand for longevity has never been higher. And while it may be true that each advancement in biogerontology brings a new hope for the millions of Americans in this age group, it remains a product of a burgeoning senior section.

It is a product of our society – human nature – to seek long life. According to Genesis, Hebrew patriarch Methuselah was said to have lived 969 years. Ponce de Leon discovered the Fountain of Youth in 1513 that fostered a youth-preserving mineral water. And James Hilton’s Shangri-La cultivated health, happiness and, of course, long life. We even look at the Hunza Valley of Pakistan and the Vilcambamba of Ecuador, where people are said to live as long as 120 years, as examples of genetic age retardation. In the last two years alone, the United States has poured more than $1.5 billion into anti-aging research funding.

Yet I, for one, believe that there is a complement to everything. With youth, comes age. With time, there is space. And with birth, there is death. There are constants that impact our lives that a pill cannot change. Aging remains a subtle, no doubt vital, part of our progression to this mortality. We spend all of our time trying to avoid death when, truth be told, we don’t even know when death happens.

Now can somebody please feed those poor starving monkeys?

Ben Jones is a columnist for the Daily Toreador, serving Texas Tech University in Lubbock.