As people live longer, they are more likely to develop at least one age-related disease. Instead of treating each individual disease as it arises, a more effective way to reduce this burden would be to attack them at their common root: the aging process itself.
NIH-funded researchers have been working to better understand:
- How to measure aging. Before you can tell if a treatment could slow or even reverse aging, you need to know how fast someone is aging in the first place. Researchers have been working to develop “aging clocks” to measure a person’s biological age.
- If it’s possible to reverse brain aging. Some of the most serious health effects of aging occur in the brain. Scientists are examining whether it’s possible to preserve or maintain aspects of brain health that decline over time.
- What steps people can take to slow aging. Researchers have found that certain lifestyle interventions, such as physical activity and healthy eating, may slow the effects of aging. In addition, scientists are exploring other lifestyle interventions, such as calorie restriction, for their potential to lengthen life and delay aging.
Learn more about NIH-funded research on slowing down aging.
