IS THERE A FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH - A REVIEW OF CURRENT LIFE EXTENSION STRATEGIES

Life expectancy has dramatically increased in industrialized countries since the 1900s due to advances in disease prevention and treatment, and improvements in nutrition and infant mortality. Thus, as a society we are living longer and experiencing more of the changes and decline s associated with aging. Although the factors that cause our bodies to age are unknown, various medical interventions have been proposed and explored to prevent the process. Published research on aging conducte d during the past 10 years was retrieved through MEDLINE and criticall y evaluated. Animal and human studies suggest potential benefits of di etary modification, exercise, antioxidants, hormones, and deprenyl. Du e to the interrelationships between disease and older age and the limi tations of existing research in this area, most life extension strateg ies are untested hypotheses. Many strategies merit scientific inquiry, but they cannot be recommended for use. More extensive research is ne cessary to assess their safety, effectiveness, and socioeconomic impac t, and to resolve ethical controversies before they can be considered applicable in humans.