Key Takeaways
- Scientists have developed methods to slow and potentially reverse the effects of ageing.
- Life expectancy has doubled over the past 150 years, with a focus now on extending healthspan.
- China is expected to have over 500 million people aged 60 and older by 2050.
Emerging technological advancements are driving innovations that are transforming how we understand and potentially combat the effects of ageing. Over the past two decades, scientists have made significant strides in comprehending the biological pathways of ageing, leading to the development of methods to slow, stall, and even reverse its impact on the body and mind.
According to RBC Wealth Management’s Head of Investment Strategy, Frédérique Carrier, these advancements are not only of scientific interest but also have profound implications for the economy and society. With life expectancy doubling over the past 150 years, children born in high-income nations now have a good chance of living past their 80s.
However, a significant portion of life is spent battling chronic diseases. A 2018 article in Nature reports that between 16% and 20% of life is spent in a state of daily struggle against the increasing burden of chronic diseases in late life. This highlights the need to extend healthspan, or the number of healthy years before the end of life.
The global population of people aged 60 and older is expected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050, according to the World Health Organisation. This demographic shift will place a significant strain on healthcare systems and economies, particularly in countries like China, which is projected to have over 500 million people aged 60 and older by mid-century.
Scientists have proposed two hypotheses to explain the biological causes of ageing. Some believe that ageing is a continuation of developmental processes that are useful early in life but run haphazardly into adulthood, causing deterioration. For example, bone loss in post-menopausal women could be the result of processes that draw calcium from the skeleton to produce milk in breastfeeding mothers. Others suggest that ageing is the gradual loss of the body’s ability to repair itself.
Despite ongoing debates, scientists generally agree on the physiological details of ageing, such as the cellular changes that accompany the progressive decline in physical functions over time. In 2013, Carlos López-Otín, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Oviedo in Spain, led a team that produced a widely used list of the characteristics of ageing. In 2023, they updated this list to account for advancements in biological sciences.
The updated list identifies twelve ‘hallmarks’ of ageing that worsen with age, accelerate if stimulated, and seem to slow down with treatment. These hallmarks include genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion, altered intercellular communication, dysregulated inflammation, and altered intracellular trafficking.
These advancements in understanding ageing have significant implications for investment strategies. Frédérique Carrier, RBC Wealth Management’s Head of Investment Strategy, notes that scientific breakthroughs in ageing research can inform intriguing investment opportunities. As the global population ages, companies that can develop technologies and therapies to extend healthspan are likely to see increased demand and investment.
While the exact mechanisms of ageing are still being debated, the focus on extending healthspan is clear. As the world grapples with the challenges of an ageing population, technological advancements offer hope for a healthier and more productive later life.
