My late father, as was so common in his generation, had a heart attack in his 40s, a stroke in his 50s and succumbed to heart disease in his early 60s.

After a heart attack at age 55, I felt confident I was likely to follow the path of my father and grandfather (who died at age 59), and not live much beyond my mid-60s. Perhaps because of my lifestyle and the miracles of modern medicine, I am 71 and feel 40, fabulous and frisky!

Not surprisingly, we all want to live very long lives. There is even the promise by some expert gerontologists (scientists who study the aging process) of life expectancies of a century and a half. Longevity has become a passion. Industries have evolved that promise youth, reversal of the aging process and a prolongation in life expectancy. Much is cosmetic and only skin-deep, with anti-aging creams, diets to reduce wrinkling and promote youth, and an explosive increase in cosmetic surgery to avoid the inevitable growing older.

Interest in longevity has led to a new health care field called anti-aging medicine that promises youthfulness, longer lives and the tantalizing promise of immortality. Today sales pitches from purveyors of dubious natural and pharmaceutical products promise longer and better lives. Interest in this area has grown explosively with over 10,000 physicians belonging to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, a driving force in so-called longevity medicine. The evidence that any current therapy can reverse aging is doubtful or frankly nonexistent. Politicians have referred to anti-aging advocates as 21st-century snake oil salesmen, and some years ago Dr. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois circulated a position paper signed by 51 of the nations most eminent scientists warning of the hype of anti-aging remedies.

Anti-aging therapies include sex and growth hormones that have the potential of building muscle and strength, but they accelerate rather than prevent aging. Antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and immune-boosting medications have all been proposed as anti-aging therapies. More and more evidence is accumulating that these, including vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin A, various minerals and many others increase cancer risk and shorten rather than increase life expectancy.

While reversing the aging process is currently impossible, never say never! We know that restricting food intake in animals prolongs life by about 30 percent, and as we learn more and more about how individual cells function, new strategies to reverse aging are possible. The tip of every chromosome is referred to as the telomere. As a cell ages, the telomere shortens, and this prevents the cell from dividing. Once the telomere is very short the cell dies. Research has shown that an enzyme known as telomerase can prevent telomere shortening and prolong the life expectancy of cells. Much research is currently underway to use this strategy to prolong life in animals and perhaps one day in man. To date, this had not been achieved.

Even more exciting is the ongoing research by world-renowned and highly respected gerontologists who have identified genes in worms, fruit flies, mice and even monkeys that prolong life. By the use of cutting edge research, these genes can be modified, prolonging life expectancy in these organisms by 50 percent or more. Finding a single gene or a number of linked genes that can either be altered or injected into humans to reverse the aging process may one day be a reality. Who knows what the future may hold? The incredible sophistication of modern-day research technologies makes anything possible.

Even if no more than a promise for the future, these research endeavors to prolong life are vital to truly understanding the factors involved in longevity. A longer life will only work if we minimize or eradicate chronic diseases that cause disability, such as frailty and Alzheimers disease. This will assure not only a longer but, more importantly, a better life. Simultaneously, we must prevent the leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, chronic lung and kidney disease.

If we all live beyond 100, and 90 percent of us reside in nursing homes, living longer will be accompanied by suffering, depression and unrealistic economic burdens. It is not how long we live but how well.

Dr. David Lipschitz is the author of the book Breaking the Rules of Aging.

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One day we may live twice as long as we do today!