The quest to legitimize longevity medicine

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The quest to legitimize longevity medicine

By Jessica Hamzelou | MIT Technology Review | March 18, 2024

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On a bright chilly day last December, a crowd of doctors and scientists gathered at a research institute atop a hill in Novato, California. It was the first time this particular group of healthy longevity specialists had met in person, and they had a lot to share.  The group’s goal is to help people add years to their lifespans, and to live those extra years in good health. But the meeting’s participants had another goal as well: to be recognized as a credible medical field.

For too long, modern medicine has focused on treating disease rather than preventing it, they say. They believe that it’s time to move from reactive healthcare to proactive healthcare. And to do so in a credible way—by setting “gold standards” and medical guidelines for the field. These scientists and clinicians see themselves spearheading a revolution in medicine.  Establishing a new discipline of medicine is no mean feat. Longevity doctors have started to make progress by establishing learning programs and embedding these courses in medical schools. They’ve started drafting guidelines for the field, and working out how they might go about becoming recognized by national medical boards.

Almost all longevity clinics offer their clients a suite of tests, usually over a four- to six-hour testing session.  The goal is to figure out which aspects of a person’s health or lifestyle might prevent them from living a long, healthy life, and to address those aspects, even if much of the advice is common sense.  

But proponents recognize the challenges ahead. Clinicians disagree on how they should assess and treat aging. Most clinics are expensive and currently only cater to the wealthy. And their task is made more difficult by the sheer scale and variety of longevity clinics out there, which range from high-end spas offering beauty treatments to offshore clinics offering unproven stem cell therapies.  Without standards and guidelines, there is a real risk that some clinics could end up not only failing to serve their clients, but potentially harming them. 

3 key takeaways from the article

1. For too long, modern medicine has focused on treating disease rather than preventing it.  A group of scientists and clinicians believe that it’s time to move from reactive healthcare to proactive healthcare. And to do so in a credible way—by setting “gold standards” and medical guidelines for the field.  They want to help people add years to their lifespans, and to live those extra years in good health.
2. Establishing a new discipline of medicine is no mean feat. Longevity doctors have started to make progress by establishing learning programs and embedding these courses in medical schools. They’ve started drafting guidelines for the field, and working out how they might go about becoming recognized by national medical boards.
3. But proponents recognize the challenges ahead.  Without standards and guidelines, there is a real risk that some clinics could end up not only failing to serve their clients, but potentially harming them. 

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Topics:  Longevity, Health, Medicines