Living beyond 100: hope or hype?

by Sherman M. Fridman

Ever since Ponce de Leon began his quest for the Fountain of Youth, the belief has persisted that some mystical substance exists that can extend human life. During the past 500 years, average human life expectancy has indeed doubled, but this increase has been excruciatingly gradual, and the existence of a life-extending elixir has remained as elusive as it was when de Leon first waded ashore on the coast of Florida, half a millennium ago.

Scientists and medical researchers have attributed the increase in the human life span to a variety of factors from better diets to more effective measures of preventing and fighting disease. Now, a growing number of advocates of what is generically referred to as "anti-aging medicine" feel we are on the verge of major medical breakthroughs that will see people routinely living to 125 years of age, and beyond. Or, as Ronald Klatz, M.D., president of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine says, "May infinity be your destiny."

All about hormones?

California physician, Edmund Chein, M.D. is an anti-aging researcher and practitioner whose Life Extension Institute in Palm Springs has treated many celebrities and political leaders. According to Chein, anti-aging medicine is a developing specialty concerned with slowing the process of human aging, with an eventual goal of eliminating age-related diseases. In his opinion, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most powerful tool of anti-aging medicine and the means by which age-related illnesses will be eradicated. In particular, human growth hormone is thought by some physicians to be the hormone most likely to reverse biological age.

"We used to believe that our hormone levels fall because we age," Dr. Chein explains. "But now, [physicians] acknowledge that we age because our hormone levels fall." Stated this way, the solution seems quite simple: If we age because our hormone levels go down, perhaps the aging process can be reversed by bringing hormone levels back up to where they were at 30 years of age, the point at which the human body's degenerative process begins.

Hormone replacement therapy, especially estrogen supplementation, has been used for years, particularly in combating symptoms that accompany menopause (hot flashes, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances), and in protecting at-risk women against heart disease. However, the long-term use of estrogen is related to an increased risk of female breast cancer, and many doctors believe that the benefits of rebuilding a woman's estrogen level do not outweigh the potential danger of cancer.

Doctors using HRT as an anti-aging treatment acknowledge that there is a potential for harm unless the amount and type of hormones are specifically formulated for each patient's body and risk factors. Even Dr. Chein, who has obtained a U.S. Patent for his method of replacing and balancing hormones in humans, concedes that HRT alone is not enough.

Changes in lifestyle and diet are also important. Chein advocates plenty of exercise and proper nutrition to anyone seeking to prolong his life.

NIA warns against hormone therapy

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has issued the following position statement:

The NIA does not recommend taking supplements of DHEA, growth hormone, or melatonin, because not enough is known about them. People who have a genuine deficiency of testosterone or human growth hormone should take them only under a doctor's supervision. The NIA does not recommend taking any supplement as an anti-aging remedy, because no supplement has been proven to serve this purpose. Talk to your doctor to make sure that over-the-counter supplements will not interfere with other medications you are taking and that they will not affect any medical conditions you may have.

DNA, diet, and exercise

David Kane, M.D., board certified plastic surgeon and part-time instructor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, believes that the secret to living longer lies in our DNA—the building blocks found in all human cells. He says that DNA serves as a system of preprogrammed checks and balances within our bodies, making us more, or less, susceptible to illness, disease and aging.

According to Kane, it is our DNA, not our hormones, that controls how we weather life's physical storms as well as the ravages of time. But the ability to control DNA is still three to five decades in the future. Until then, Dr. Kane suggests the following six-step program of medical, surgical and lifestyle intervention:

Proper nutrition and exercise
Eating a healthful, balanced diet, especially when coupled with on-going moderate exercise, helps to extend life and to stimulate the body's natural production of growth hormones.

Antioxidants
Found in foods, these compounds include beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and lycopene. Since many people don't eat a balanced diet, Dr. Kane suggests supplementing your intake of these essential nutrients with vitamins.

DNA repair
To help repair DNA and restore our bodies, Dr. Kane recommends taking tretinoin (Retin-A), an acid derivative of vitamin A, which has the ability to enter skin cells and stimulate DNA repair. This is believed to reverse the wrinkling process and promote exfoliation and thickening of the skin. But remember that no drug is without side effects. Tretinoin is known to cause redness, blistering, severe local swelling, peeling and photosensitivity in some patients.

Hormone replacement
A key element of the anti-aging process, Dr. Kane recommends it for both men and women.

Cosmetic surgery
Considered a quick fix by some, Dr. Kane, (perhaps not surprisingly given his medical specialty), recommends this as a way to repair the damage caused by aging.

Gene therapy
At least 30 years away, scientists will probably be able to isolate wound healing and muscular agents, as well as the aging factors in our genes.

By adhering to the above steps, and particularly the first two, Dr. Kane feels that we can add approximately 30 years to our life span—time enough for medical science to find a "fountain of youth."

The price of youth

Little in life is free. The initial evaluation and anti-aging treatment can easily exceed $1,000, and depending on which hormones a patient receives, monthly maintenance will generally cost between $100 and $1,000...for life. Neither Medicare nor most medical insurance policies will cover anti-aging treatments.

This doesn't phase Edna, a former model and still vibrant red-head who looks at least 20 years younger than her stated age of eighty-plus. She's been receiving monthly anti-aging treatments, including HRT, for several years and is sure she'll live to at least 125.

The key to endless youth?

Have we finally unlocked the secret of life? The general consensus is that while we're making substantial progress, medical locksmiths are still crafting the keys that will open the doors to a longevity far beyond that which we now accept as normal. Of course, this raises new questions: What good is longer life if the quality of that life doesn't improve as well? And what effect will the anti-aging movement have on housing, health care and Social Security?

In the meantime, anti-aging medicine continues to develop at a fairly rapid clip. As of yet, though, there are no recognized standards or board certifications for doctors practicing anti-aging medicine. Until standards are in place, we can only fall back on the time-honored adage: "Let the buyer beware."