Borrowed Time

Science journalist Armstrong (P53: The Gene That Cracked the Cancer Code) presents the state of current research on aging, beginning with the universal hallmarks of getting older--problems that develop with genes and their expression, proteins, nutrient processing, mitochondria, stem cells, and inflammation--and shows how scientists are exploring each in hopes of discovering ways to slow or reverse the aging process. While there are many promising laboratory models for achieving this, most cannot yet be tested on humans. Prescription drugs already on the market for use in other conditions have also demonstrated promise in ameliorating some of these effects in some human patients. Armstrong devotes several chapters to the efforts underway to understand and treat Alzheimer's disease, one of the most feared aspects of aging. VERDICT Armstrong uses an informal style to explain complicated research in lay-friendly terms. Her book will be of interest to everyone who hopes to live a long, healthy life.--Rachel Owens, Daytona State Coll. Lib., FL

December 15, 2018
An exploration of aging that answers all readers' questions except how they might reverse it.Innumerable enthusiastic authors have revealed how to achieve vast longevity, but British science writer Armstrong (P53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code, 2015) confines herself to genuine aging research, the scientists who engage in it, and the problems they face. It turns out that the news is not all bad. Early theorists pointed out that germ cells (ova and sperm) are immortal; every other body cell (the soma) supports them. Once the organism has reproduced, somatic cells have served their purpose, so evolution removes them to make room for a new generation. "Just because aging is a natural process that happens to us all inexorably...it doesn't mean that it is either healthy or intractable," writes Armstrong, who emphasizes that aging seems wasteful. After all, evolution designed a complex process to build an adult from a tiny embryo, but then it falls apart. Wouldn't it be easier to keep it working than to build it in the first place? Scientists have discovered many mechanisms of aging whose fashions wax and wane. Perhaps harmful genetic mutations gradually accumulate. Perhaps free radicals, chemical products of metabolism, slowly oxidize our defenses. This remains debatable among scientists, but "antioxidants" have become a bestselling health product. Another preoccupation is the telomere, a cap on every chromosome that shortens with each cell division. Once the telomere becomes too short, the cell stops dividing and enters senescence. Keeping it long may be the solution--or maybe not. Stopping the immune system's steady decline with age seems a possibility. Other researchers hope to tap our body's immature stem cells. These retain the ability to mature into every kind of tissue, so this would permit creation of fresh young replacement organs.Armstrong's sensible review of anti-aging science concludes that its goal is achievable--but not yet.

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February 1, 2019
Some animals possess remarkable longevity. A cold-water clam and a species of shark can live about 400 years. Yet the average human life expectancy worldwide in 2016 was 72 years. The verified oldest-ever human reached 122. What makes the difference in attaining extremely old age? Science-writer Armstrong (The Gene That Cracked the Cancer Code, 2014) adeptly distills contemporary gerontology research. There are many theories on aging but no consensus as to why we grow old and frail and how it happens. Some popular explanations include accumulated wear and tear on the body, built-in obsolescence, progressive shortening of the telomeres of dividing cells, genetically programmed cellular death, and the pay later theory (genetic mutations that might be helpful at an early age become detrimental later on in life). Armstrong scrutinizes extreme calorie-restricted diets, the body's nutrient-sensing network, epigenetics, hypotheses about the cause of Alzheimer's disease, and an intriguing clinical study of metformin (the most prescribed medication for type 2 diabetes) as a possible life-extending treatment. Although a cure for aging remains unlikely, Armstrong's deft discussion of the topic is invigorating.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)