This review will summarize the status of translating this knowledge into interventions that have the potential to slow the aging process and extend the healthy, active period of life.
Over the past three decades, aging has been studied using the same advanced tools of genetics and molecular biology that have shed light on other fundamental processes in biology, such as embryonic development and control of cell growth. This research has identified numerous aging-relevant mechanisms and pathways that constitute legitimate targets for pharmacological and lifestyle interventions. This review will summarize the status of translating this knowledge into interventions that have the potential to slow the aging process and extend the healthy, active period of life. Since it is now clear that slowing aging can also delay the onset and progression of diseases in numerous rodent models, aging interventions may offer novel ways to forestall aging-related diseases and even treat them once they have begun.