Sunday, December 30, 2012

Forestalling or repairing damage done by aging

Should we spend most of our research dollars on cures for cancer and heart disease, only to have people die of other age-related diseases? Peter Singer writes at Project Syndicate that Aubrey de Grey believes more money should be spent on aging itself. Singer writes,

In developed countries, aging is the ultimate cause of 90% of all human deaths; thus, treating aging is a form of preventive medicine for all of the diseases of old age. Moreover, even before aging leads to our death, it reduces our capacity to enjoy our own lives and to contribute positively to the lives of others. So, instead of targeting specific diseases that are much more likely to occur when people have reached a certain age, wouldn’t a better strategy be to attempt to forestall or repair the damage done to our bodies by the aging process?

Read more at http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-ethics-of-anti-aging-by-peter-singer#y9myjiyG8KUi47at.99

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