Two Blood Proteins Might Slow Aging Process, Study Says
From our ongoing decline in our health to the impact that chronic age-related diseases and frailty has on society, aging affects every one of us. Science tells us that our bodies undergo a "systemic functional decline" after reaching adulthood. The ongoing process of getting older results in age-related disease, infirmity, and eventually death.
Most of us are aware that we will, eventually, pass away. What happens before our death is often very unpleasant for most of us to think about or plan for. While realistic and scientifically sound, the risk of needing long-term health care often gets ignored until a family finds themselves in a crisis.
Delay Aging?
Can we avoid - or delay - aging? Perhaps, but probably not any time soon. University of Edinburgh researchers have identified two blood proteins have that seem to influence how long and healthy a life we live. This knowledge could help scientists develop drugs that target these proteins and perhaps slow the aging process, according to the most extensive genetic study of aging to date.
Individuals who inherited DNA that causes raised levels of these proteins were frailer, had poorer self-rated health and were less likely to live an exceptionally long life than those who did not.
The first protein, called apolipoprotein(a) (LPA), is made in the liver and thought to play a role in clotting. High levels of LPA can increase the risk of atherosclerosis – a condition in which arteries become clogged with fatty substances - causing heart disease and strokes.
The second protein, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1), is primarily found on the surfaces of endothelial cells – a single-cell layer that lines blood vessels. The protein controls vessels' expansion and retraction – and function in blood clotting and the immune response.
The researchers say that drugs used to treat diseases by reducing LPA and VCAM1 levels could benefit improving quality and length of life.
Dr. Paul Timmers - University of Edinburgh
"The identification of these two key proteins could help extend the healthy years of life. Drugs that lower these protein levels in our blood could allow the average person to live as healthy and as long as individuals who have won the genetic lottery and are born with genetically low LPA and VCAM1 levels," said Dr. Paul Timmers, lead researcher at the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh.
Professor Jim Wilson, Chair of Human Genetics at the University of Edinburgh's Usher Institute, says that the study showcases the power of modern genetics to identify two potential targets for future drugs that could extend an individual's lifespan.
Everything Ages - Are You Prepared?
Every living thing ages — even bacteria. However, why aging happens is still one of the biggest mysteries in biology. Research may help delay aging; however, aging means a decline in health, body, and mind until such time science can solve the problem of aging.
Every person ages differently. Aging leads to many chronic health problems like diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and cancer. Plus, as we get older, we have a higher risk of dementia. Frailty alone can lead to needing help with daily living activities.
One of the problems of long-term health care is the cost of the care and the consequences that caregiving places on family members who often, by default, become caregivers.
Long-Term Health Care Costs are Rapidly Increasing Over Time
Long-term care services are getting more costly due to increased demand for services and labor shortages worldwide. The LTC NEWS Cost of Care Calculator shows these costs where you live and where the costs are expected to be in the decades to come - Cost of Care Calculator - Choose Your State | LTC News.
Since health insurance and Medicare (including supplements) pay little or nothing toward most of these long-term health care costs, the financial consequences can be considerable.
Medicaid will only pay if the care recipient has little or no income and assets. Long-Term Care Insurance will pay for both long-term facility care and in-home services, but you must have reasonably good health to obtain coverage which is usually purchased when someone is in their 50s.
Experts indicate many people delay or avoid purchasing Long-Term Care Insurance, thinking they can obtain coverage "when they need it," assuming they need it at all. The denial of aging creates a crisis when family members must determine how an older parent will be cared for when no advance plan was put in place decades prior.