Researchers are seeing increasingly clearly that slowing down the ageing process not only improves health, but also yields major economic benefits. A recent study shows that focusing on combating ageing is more financially rewarding than treating individual diseases. The research shows that when people stay healthy for longer, the costs of chronic illnesses can drop significantly.
Many older people have multiple long-term conditions such as heart problems, diabetes or dementia. These diseases not only cause a great deal of suffering, but also high healthcare costs. It is therefore important to invest in ways to prevent these diseases by intervening earlier in the ageing process. This enables people not only to live longer, but also to experience more years of good health.
The financial analysis calculated that slowing down the ageing process by just one year is already worth tens of trillions of dollars to the economy. With a ten-year extension of healthy lifespan, this value can even rise to hundreds of trillions of dollars worldwide. This shows that global investments in this area of research can offer major benefits for us all.
New scientific thinking is increasingly focusing on understanding ageing itself rather than just the diseases associated with it. This could lead to treatments that tackle the causes of diseases and not just the symptoms. Thus, a future is emerging in which health in old age remains better and the pressure on healthcare decreases.
For those who want to age healthily, it is good news that research into the ageing process is opening up new avenues for a more active and fitter life at an advanced age.
Source: Buck Institute
