Telomeres, cancer, and aging. Altering the human life span
D. A. Banks and M. Fossel
Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy & Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
Population projections of the aging global society and its fiscal and
social impact have depended on assumptions regarding the human life span.
Until now, the assumption that the maximum human life span is fixed has
been justified. Recent advances in cell biology, genetics, and our
understanding of the cellular processes that underlie aging, however, have
shown that this assumption is invalid in a number of animal models and
suggest that this assumption may become invalid for humans as well. In
vitro alteration of telomeres affects cellular senescence, and in vivo
manipulation of genes and diet can increase maximum life span in animal
models if these discoveries are extended to humans. We may soon be able to
extend the maximum human life span and postpone or prevent the onset of
diseases associated with aging. Such a possibility requires that we
recognize a growing uncertainty in any attempt to project international
health care costs into the next few decades. The costs may be significantly
lower than projections, if life span increases and age-related disabilities
are postponed or less severe, or perhaps higher, if life span increases
without altering the onset and severity of disability. An appropriate
uncertainty regarding the human life span undermines any attempt to
accurately predict health costs in the next century.
