NIA Home > About NIA > Strategic Plan > Research Goal B
Research on the biology of aging has led to a revolution in aging research. New findings about the factors that affect aging have begun to provide valuable insights about longevity and the genesis of disease.
No single theory can account for all the changes that take place as people age. Aging today is viewed as many processes, interactive and independent, that determine life span and health. These dynamics result in wide variations in aging both among individuals and among different biological processes and systems within the body. Understanding these variations and their causes promises to translate into interventions that extend the proportion of our lives spent in good health.
Chronic diseases and disabilities were once thought to be inseparable from aging. This view is changing rapidly as the means are developed to prevent, treat, or control diseases. If chronic disease is not intrinsic to aging, then what is "normal" aging? Normal or usual changes with aging, just like diseases, are influenced by genetics, environment, and lifestyle. The link between genes and life span is no longer questioned. For example, selective breeding in fruit flies has resulted in flies that live nearly twice as long as average. In addition, recent studies of human centenarians have found that extreme longevity runs in families, suggesting a strong genetic influence on aging. Complementing the genetic influences on aging are the strong effects of environmental factors, such as toxins, radiation, and oxygen radicals-highly reactive molecules produced as cells turn food and oxygen into energy. Progress is being made in understanding and counteracting these environmental effects. Lifestyle choices, including diets, physical activity, and other health habits, as well as behavioral and social factors, also have a potent effect on aging processes.
To understand the normal or usual changes with age, NIA's goals are to:
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