An Interview with a Programmed Aging Theorist

Josh Mittledorf holds an interesting somewhat group selection based view on the evolution of programmed aging, and here is interviewed by the Life Extension Advocacy Foundation volunteers. I have long said that the important divide in the research community is between (a) those who think that aging is programmed, in the sense that evolution selects for epigenetic changes in later life that are a primary cause of damage and dysfunction, and (b) those who see aging as a stochastic process of damage accumulation, that occurs in later life because there is little to no selection pressure for ways to prevent it, and this damage causes epigenetic changes and dysfunction. This is an important divide because the two views lead to very different strategies for the development of therapies to treat aging. The programmed aging theorist wants to force reversion of epigenetic changes to a youthful pattern, and expects damage and dsyfunction to be reversed as a result. In the damage accumulation view, exemplified by the SENS research programs, repair of damage is the right path, with the expectation that dysfunction and epigenetic changes will revert themselves once the damage is gone. In either case, if the other side is right, the chosen strategy will produce poor results. Now that the research community is earnestly engaged with the idea of treating aging, whether researchers and institutions invest in good or bad strategies is of great importance to the near future of medicine a...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs