Longevity: What Does It All Mean?
Like many women my age, I postponed having children (or, in my case, a single child) until my 40s. As someone who loved their career at the time, I didn’t think much beyond giving birth, never mind raising my child and wanting to see my grandchildren.
Now that I have passed the milestone of becoming a parent, I see myself looking at the future: where will I be when my daughter graduates from college? Has her first job? Has a child?
If I had been born 50 years earlier, I’d have had little chance of seeing her graduate from college. But now, with advances in longevity and healthspan, It’s more likely that I will be around for more of her milestones. Yeah! I may see my future grandchild! Hooray!
But honestly, deep down inside, I’m like, Oh Crap! Is it better to go gracefully, earlier, or to be in constant fear of decline and dependence?
Is Longevity Just for Biohackers?
Superagers, longevity influencers, blue zone gurus, and biohackers celebrate the promise of playing chess well and chasing grandchildren into your 100s. But let’s get real. Relative to our predecessors, we will live longer and generally have better health for part of those extended years. That’s great. But will we really be the spry 95-year-old running an ultra marathon? Probably not (I don’t want to run that long anyhow).
If you ask the gurus, I need to ask my doctor about APOE e3, rapamycin, and more. I mean, I would, but I’m sure none of this is covered by insurance! I’ve seen advertisements for Prevagen, Kardia Mobile, a sleep monitor, and more in the last week. Do I need these, and in what order? I’ve listened to podcasts telling me that I need to improve my mobility, power, and strength if I want to be able to haul those groceries when I am 80. I tried telling my personal trainer all this. He just walked away.
Of course, my physician is central to my life/health span, right? Yet this trusted person has not mentioned the terms longevity, aging, or health span. All I get is, ‘Just do your annual check, and you’ll be fine.’ Does Peter Attia really know that much more? What gives?
The Reality: We Need a New Voice of Reason
The discussion of longevity, healthy aging, health span, or whatever we call it, must be clarified. What are we truly seeking: Living disease-free for longer? Delaying natural decline? Reversing the aging clock? And what information or interventions do I need?
Longevity currently feels more sci-fi than mainstream, but now’s the time to explain it in plain English. No one has stepped in to rationalize all of the information about how to maximize healthspan in a coherent, digestible, and relevant way.
Our healthcare providers are already overburdened and untrained in many of these areas. Institutions that support the healthcare industry—namely insurance—are shortsighted and fail to help us navigate quality of life. Take this scenario: imagine if insurance paid for preventative physical therapy. We’d avoid a lot more costly, nasty falls that would have knock-on health and financial consequences all around (but I won’t go on about the insurance industry here).
But we can take a cue from Women’s Health. Disruptors saw the shortcomings of the traditional medical system in helping middle-aged and older women navigate health issues. And voila, welcome to Midi Health, a virtual clinic for women over 40. Might we see the same type of clinic arise for broader middle-aged groups focusing on the health span of older adults?