NEW YORK — Is 90 the new 50? Not yet, researchers on aging say, but medical breakthroughs to significantly extend life and ease the ailments of getting older are closer than many people think.
“The general public has no idea what’s coming,” said David Sinclair, a Harvard Medical School professor who has made headlines with research into the health benefits of a substance in red wine called resveratrol.
Speaking on a panel of aging experts, Sinclair had the boldest predictions. He said scientists can greatly increase longevity and improve health in lab animals like mice, and that drugs to benefit people are on the way.
“It’s not an if, but a when,” he said.
The discussion of aging was a closing event of the first World Science Festival, a five-day celebration of science for the public that brought together researchers ranging from biologists to quantum physicists. Participants included Nobel laureates, business leaders and philosophers.
At the longevity event, hundreds of people young and old packed a sold-out New York University hall, including actress Jane Fonda, who turned 70 in December.
Aging well and staying healthy are hot topics as the population grays, people live longer and tens of millions of baby boomers enter or approach their 60s.
Robert Butler, a pioneer of aging research who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for the book “Why Survive? Being Old in America,” agreed that “people live longer and better by having a sense of purpose.”
He said that while medicine and biology are important for longevity, having friendships and close relationships also have a big impact.
Butler said a revolution in longevity has already arrived, noting that in the last century life spans increased 30 years, more than in the previous 5,000 years of human history.
Given the latest research, he said, more resources must be devoted to understanding the biology of aging, since “with one pill, we might be able to do a lot for many different conditions.”
