Geroscience: Challenging Conventional Wisdom on Aging [Ginza I-Glad Clinic]

"It's just aging, so it can't be helped."
I imagine many of you feel this way.

However,
the hypothesis that "aging can be cured" is starting to become a reality.
At the center of this is a field of study called Geroscience.

Simply knowing about this new field will change how you approach aging.

▪️ What is Geroscience?

Geroscience is the study of "curing aging itself."

If you feel like saying, "Aging can be cured?", I think that is a natural reaction.
However, it has been found that, in part, aging can be cured.

To put it accurately, Geroscience is the study that posits "aging can be controlled by taking certain actions."

Because of this, it is expected that "curable aging" and "incurable aging" will increasingly be distinguished from one another.

In the sense that it deals with aging, Geroscience is similar to anti-aging, gerontology, and geriatric medicine.
However, the fact that it has been given a new name means that something is different.

▪️ Why is Geroscience attracting attention now?

Let's think about "lightning."
The existence of lightning has been known since ancient times.

In an era without technology, people interpreted it as the "work of the wind and thunder gods."
It was only after the development of physics that it was understood to be a discharge phenomenon of static electricity caused by the friction between ice particles.

Geroscience is the same.
With the advancement of technology, we have made progress in elucidating what the "causes" are at the cellular, genetic, and molecular levels, and how they lead to "aging phenomena."

Born from this is the hypothesis: "Might aging be something that can be cured by actively intervening?"

The impact of this is shaking the very foundations of conventional medical wisdom.

▪️ The future brought about by Geroscience

Geroscience is originally intended to extend "healthspan."
It is not about extending lifespan as a duration of survival, but about extending the period one can spend in good health, thereby eliminating the gap between lifespan and healthspan.

However, the uniqueness of Geroscience may lie elsewhere.

Until now, many medical advancements have enabled the extension of lifespan.
Improvements in sanitary conditions, better nutrition, the development of antibiotics, and so on.
What these brought about was an increase in the "average life expectancy" for the "population."

In addition to this, Geroscience may even make it possible to extend the "maximum lifespan" for "individuals."
In fact, research results supporting this have already been reported in animal experiments.

If that is the case,
the way we approach medical care and nursing care may also change.
Life insurance and pension systems might change as well.
Beyond individual life planning, the very structure of society itself could potentially change.

When that happens, the concept of 'ikigai'—the reason for living—becomes increasingly important.

In fact, this concept of 'ikigai' is already being introduced in English-speaking countries, including in academic papers.
Enjoying a home garden, savoring a morning cup of tea, or taking care of a cat—it is said that these small joys in daily life lead to healthy longevity.

Geroscience is not just about medicine; it is also about the prosperity of society as a whole.
Doesn't that sound incredibly exciting?

▪️ Aging treatment is connected to the entire body

There is not a single organ in the body that is not affected by aging.
The brain, heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys—all organs age.

In that sense, geroscience is a discipline that connects to the foundation of all medicine, rather than being limited to specific diseases or fields.

For example, if kidney aging progresses, the risk of needing dialysis increases.
Dialysis is a treatment that not only significantly lowers a patient's quality of life but also places a heavy burden on social medical expenses.
If we can slow the decline of kidney function through aging treatment, it may lead to the avoidance of dialysis.

In the case of the lungs, it could be pulmonary fibrosis; in the brain, it could be dementia.
Senescent cells are deeply involved in all of these.

And, with the goal of removing these senescent cells, anti-cancer drugs are sometimes used.
Ultimately, the siloed structure of specialized fields is not enough to handle this.

A hospital specializing in cancer does not necessarily treat pulmonary fibrosis, diabetic nephropathy, or Alzheimer's-type dementia, which are closely related to senescent cells.
However, from the perspective of geroscience, these are all connected by the common axis of 'aging'.

Aesthetic medicine is no exception.
Wrinkles and sagging are, medically speaking, 'age-related changes in the skin as an organ,' and intervening in the aging process itself is a more fundamental approach than just fixing surface symptoms.

Geroscience is also a discipline that connects specialized fields that tend to be siloed.

▪️ Insurance-covered medical care and self-pay medical care: 'A cycle of medical practice'

Insurance-covered medical care is inherently an excellent system.
However, it is not something that can magically fulfill every need.

Discussions regarding the funding sources for medical expenses are urgent.
The deduction of social insurance premiums from salaries has also become a topic of political debate.

We must maintain a system that provides high-level medical care despite limited financial resources.

As this is an area involving tax money, we must be accountable for how those funds are used and explore realistic paths forward.

I believe one solution is to create a cycle of doctors and funding between insurance-covered and self-pay medical care.

This includes the spirit of medicine that insurance-covered care has primarily upheld.
And the attitude of facing price determination—the added value created—which is first experienced in self-pay medical care. (In insurance-covered care, public institutions set the prices. Therefore, the entities providing medical services cannot adjust prices to ensure business continuity.)

How about achieving better medical care by having both of these complement each other?
I believe there is no field more suitable than geroscience to be the first to realize this.

▪️ The first step in facing aging

You don't need to start anything special right now.
There is just one thing I would like you to know.

The hypothesis that "aging might be curable" is being seriously researched at the forefront of global medicine.
For example, research is progressing on compounds called "senolytics."

This is an attempt to prevent various age-related diseases by selectively removing senescent cells, and clinical trials have already begun overseas.

It's okay if it doesn't quite click for you right now.
Try, just for a moment, to set aside the assumption that "aging is inevitable."

As a global trend, that premise is beginning to change.
I would be happy if knowing that fact helps you feel more positive.

In future posts, I will continue to share specific information about geroscience and anti-aging treatments.

It would encourage me if you could follow or click the like button.
Thank you for your support.

Ginza I-Glad Clinic
Director Masato Inui