Over the past hundred years, average life expectancy has increased significantly. This was mainly due to better public health measures such as the control of infectious diseases. Infections are not only dangerous because of the immediate risk of death, but they can also damage the body and thus increase the risk of disease at a later age.
Nowadays, the approach to healthcare is changing. Doctors and researchers are increasingly working on treatments that tackle ageing itself. This means they are trying to slow down or even reverse the processes that cause ageing. In this way, the quality of life in old age can be improved and diseases associated with old age can be prevented.
This new medical approach requires a shift in healthcare policy. In addition to fighting diseases, work is also being undertaken on prevention aimed at maintaining vitality and reducing damage from ageing. In the long term, this could lead to a longer and healthier lifespan.
For people who want to age healthily, this development is hopeful. It demonstrates that maintaining health at an older age is becoming increasingly possible, thanks to new insights and techniques that tackle ageing.
Source: Reason
