Opinion: The Distraction of Aging
The pursuit of longevity research is a distraction from the real issues of death and inequality.
By Benjamin Maclaren | 20 May 2018
This opinion piece article was written as part of the Science Politics course at the Centre for Public Awareness of Science. The views in this opinion article is a practice in writing positioning and do not reflect the personal views of the author.
Humanity’s obsession with immortality and longer lives distract us from the growing health issues and generational inequality that has been developing in the past few years.
Our focus should be on a healthy life rather than a longer life and to tackle the inequality issues that an ageing population is causing.
The Real Cause of Death
There have been a variety of research done over the past decade on extending human life, with advocates working and promoting the prioritisation of a “Cure” for Aging [4
This obsession with Ageing distracts us from the real causes of death, in 2016 the top 3 causes of death was Ischaemic Heart Diseases(19,077), Dementia(13,126) and Cerebrovascular Diseases(10,451) [5].
Ischaemic Heart Disease, the highest-ranked killer coming in first place most commonly known as Coronary Artery Disease or Cardiovascular Disease, this occurs when a person has a reduced blood flow to the heart, most often caused by the build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls. [5][6][7] The main causes of IHD are smoking, lack of exercise, obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Second Place goes to Dementia, this is a collection of symptoms that are caused by disorders that affect thinking, behaviour and abilities to perform most everyday tasks, most often these are caused by brain cell death.
Dementia is often thought as an Aging disorder, however, dementia is not a normal part of ageing and can occur in anyone. Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and Huntington’s disease are all examples of disorders that cause dementia. [9]
Ageing, genetics and family history are factors that come into play in most disorders that cause dementia, in particular, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. A healthy cardiovascular system, regular exercise, a healthy diet , lifelong learning and cognitive training are all factors that can prevent disorders like Alzheimer’s.[10]
Lastly, for our top three, we have Cerebrovascular Disease, this is a group of conditions that affects the blood supply to the brain and causes Stroke and aneurysms. Risk factors often are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, lack of exercise and poor diet.[7][8]
Whilst ageing may be an issue we should tackle eventually, evidently, we have bigger things to worry about. In the top 3 causes of death, most causes were not “Age” but lifestyle factors like exercise and obesity.
My equal and your equal
The ratio of elderly people in Australia is increasing, In 1976, 9% of the population was aged 65 and over, in 2016 this had risen to 15% and is expected to rise to almost ¼ of the populations aged 65 and older by 2056.
This proportion will continue to grow as life expectancy and medical technology improves.[5] An ageing population of the 21st century presents a unique challenge that has been growing the past 15–20 years, namely Generational Inequality.
Older generation households aged between 65 to 74 are $200,000 wealthier than households of the same age 12 years ago[3]. The increase in the older generations house ownership, the subsequent house price boom and an increased income rate has caused the older generations wealth to grow whilst younger generations (24–34) home ownership rates are falling and income growth is slower resulting in fewer savings and overall less wealth.[3]
This wealth accumulation causes further inequality if it is ever passed down to younger generations by concentrating built up wealth on individuals or families through inheritance.[3]
This wealth divide is magnified even greater when considering a population with increased longevity.[10] Half of older people had some degree of disability, in 2010 the Government spendings on pensions and health services were much higher in older households spending $9400 more in 2010 than 6 years previously. This extra spending was paid using budget deficit essentially adding that cost to further government debt, money that future generations will have to pay off.[3]
Priorities
Ageing and longevity research is not our biggest priority, evidently not even in our top 3, Our focus should be on reducing diseases and illness that are the greatest factors of deaths.
Supporting research and prioritisations of healthspan over lifespan and finding ways to deal with the wealth divide inflicting three-quarters of the population.
There is no point in slowing or curing ageing if we die before we get a chance to actually age. Support disease research and ensure that our science funding goes where we need it most.
