Free Radical Theory of Aging: Increasing the Average Life Expectancy at Birth and the Maximum Life Span

Summary: The founder of the free radical theory of aging again summarising the results that back the theory, and theorising on what could help slow down this process.

Interestingness: 2

Paper by Denham Harman, MD, PhD, in the Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, Volume 2, Issue 3, Fall 1999.

(((This is a rewrite of the paper two issues ago, summarised here: http://readingrejuvenationresearch.blogspot.com/2010/09/aging-minimizing-free-radical-damage.html, with better editing and slightly abridged (no cool graphs). It was more interesting the first time around, but this version is more polished.

This one puts more emphasis on substances that could slow down the aging process. There are a couple mentioned in this one that weren't mentioned in the first one, but nothing particularly intesting.
)))


Abstract follows:

Continued improvements in general living conditions—e.g., better nutrition, medical care, and housing—during the past two millennia have increased average life expectancies at birth from about 30 years in ancient Rome to almost 80 years in the developed countries with no change in the maximum life span. Current average life expectancies at birth will be increased little by further improvements. The rate of accumulation of damage inflicted on us by our inherent aging process limits average life expectancy at birth under optimal living conditions to around 85 years and the maximum life span to about 122 years. The inherent aging process is caused by chemical reactions that arise in the course of normal metabolism. Attempts to significantly increase average life expectancies at birth and the maximum life span in the future, unlike in the past, will require an understanding of aging. The free radical theory of aging postulates that this process is caused by free radical reactions, largely initiated by superoxide radicals arising from the mitochondria at an increasing rate with age. Some measures based on the free radical theory of aging may further increase the life span without interfering with the activities of normal life include: (a) caloric restriction, (b) compounds that decrease O2 access to "electron-rich areas" of the mitochondria, and (c) substances that help to minimize mitochondrial damage. The foregoing are discussed briefly along with the amelioration of damaging reactions in early life that predispose to life-shortening diseases. The feasibility of the measures suggested above needs to be evaluated. This task should be both interesting and rewarding.