A broad, multi-faceted discipline involving scientific and clinical interventions aimed at increasing the maximum chronological duration of an organism’s life. These strategies focus on modulating fundamental biological processes that govern aging, such as genomic stability, cellular metabolism, and systemic inflammation. While distinct from healthspan, successful lifespan extension inherently requires the delay or reversal of age-related disease pathology. This field is at the frontier of geroscience, utilizing both pharmacological and lifestyle protocols.
Origin
The pursuit of extending life is ancient, but the modern scientific discipline originates from the study of model organisms and the identification of genetic and environmental factors that modulate longevity pathways. The term ‘Lifespan Extension’ became formalized within the emerging field of geroscience in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Key discoveries in caloric restriction and genetic longevity mutants provided the initial framework.
Mechanism
Strategies operate by targeting the ‘hallmarks of aging,’ which include mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, and epigenetic alterations. Interventions often modulate nutrient-sensing pathways like the IGF-1/mTOR axis to mimic the effects of caloric restriction, thereby enhancing cellular repair and stress resistance. The mechanism involves shifting the body’s resources from growth and reproduction toward maintenance and survival, fundamentally slowing the rate of biological decay.
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