Fighting the Ravages of Time

Some people age gracefully, others age disgracefully. Given a choice, most people would prefer not to age at all. But we are programmed to grow older and, if we live long enough, to undergo the inexorable physical changes that are a part of aging. The best we can aim for, and it is no small thing, is to try to alleviate the unpleasant effects of those changes. The two best and oldest prescriptions are to keep moving--to get some kind of regular moderate exercise--and to eat sensibly. Do these things, study after study has confirmed, and a lot of the ills and breakdowns the aging body is heir to can often be mitigated.

Pharmaceutical science is contributing ever more significantly to improving the physical comfort of life as we age, a development generally to be cheered. The better treatments now available for arthritis, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and a host of other ailments have enriched the lives of millions. But human nature being what it is, many people seek to do more than just reduce the aches and pains and postpone the debilities of advancing years. Americans especially seem fixated not simply on staying healthy as they age but on looking and acting younger. Our great fear, it often seems, is not so much getting older but having to acknowledge that in fact we are older.

The market for products that are intended to reduce the consequences of aging is enormous. As Times science writer Robert Lee Hotz reported this week, pharmaceutical companies are now spending billions to develop close to 200 new compounds to ease the physical and psychological transition into the later years. We don’t in any way want to minimize the potential benefits of these products. But, we wonder, shouldn’t we also be aware that there might be such a thing as trying too hard to deny nature by depending excessively on pills and potions to deal with the inevitability of aging?