Geroscience is a relatively new field of study that focuses on the physiologic processes of aging and how altering these processes results in long-term health benefits. A recent JAMA review looks at geroscience’s goals, promising observations, and struggles.

1. It’s Part of Becoming Older

   Aging is the strongest predictor of the likelihood of developing chronic diseases. Medical treatments focus on treating specific diseases, but most don’t take age-related health declines such as frailty, fatigue, or loss of mobility into account.

2. Prevent Instead of Treat

   Geroscience’s goal is to “get ahead” of any possible diseases by identifying the deterioration of molecular and cellular processes that cause aging, such as DNA mutations and inaccurate gene transcription. Altering those failing processes can slow down or even prevent a variety of age-related illnesses, negating the need to treat multiple diseases at once.

3. Age Isn’t Just a Number

   Biological age and chronological age are distinct measurements in geroscience. Biological age measures how properly various body functions are performing in relation to a person’s chronological age. This comparison can help gauge mortality and disease risks.

4. Promising Interventions

   Researchers reported promising results, primarily in mice but also in humans. Interventions included calorie restriction and repurposed drugs such as metformin, which was linked to fewer neurodegenerative diseases; rapamycin, which boosted autophagy and vaccine responses in older adults; and senolytics, which cleared aging cells and reduced inflammation. The full details of the observational data can be found in the JAMA review.

5. Obstacles for Geroscience

   The FDA does not recognize “slowing aging” as a treatable condition. In order to give their therapeutic trials validity, geroscience researchers will need to craft studies that have a broad range of participants, extensive observation times, and measured outcomes that show the overall biological and functional impact of aging.

Bottom line: Geroscience’s observations show promise in identifying and treating the physiologic deteriorations that lead to age-related ailments. The success of future clinical trials could be a game-changer in the field of medicine.