The Quest for Immortality: Science at the Frontiers of Aging

Rating:
Summary: Senescence simplified
Review: Dr. Andrew Weil provides an endorsement on the back cover saying "This is by far the best book I've read on the science of aging." I wonder why. It is definitely NOT the best book I've read on the science of aging. Better are: Austad, Steven N. Why We Age: What Science Is Discovering about the Body's Journey Through Life. (1997); Clark, William R. A Means to an End: The Biological Basis of Aging and Death (1999); and Hayflick, Leonard. How and Why We Age (1994)--see my reviews at Amazon.com. All three of these books explain aging and the evolutionary necessity for death better than Olshansky and Carnes.

I think what Andrew Weil liked about this book is the authors' endorsement of alternative medicine and their mention of Dr. Weil as "a leading proponent of this approach...emphasizing the importance of the natural healing and protective powers of the body in a way that is identical to that of evolutionary medicine." (pp. 146-147) It should be understood that while the authors endorse the principles of evolutionary medicine they do not endorse the use of many popular food supplements as a means of gaining longevity, including some advocated by Dr. Weil. Of course, Weil advocates their use for "optimum health" not as a means to anything like immortality. See his engaging best-seller, Eating Well for Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Food, Diet, and Nutrition (2000).

What this book has going for it is a clear statement of the demographic facts about aging and death, and some good arguments explaining why the facts are as they are and not as we would like them to be. In particular, we are warned about the "Prolongevists" who make unsubstantiated claims about the possibility of living very long lives or of attaining immortality. They begin with the Taoists and the alchemists, through Roger Bacon and Luigi Cornaro, to the unnamed "advocates of extreme prolongevity" who, it is implied, believe that "meditating and eating fresh fruits and vegetables" will lead to "an ageless body and timeless mind," (p. 235), and they debunk them all. In a sense, theirs is an extended argument against buying any snake oil (in bottle or book form) that promises anything beyond the actuary tables. Clearly Olshansky and Carnes see their book as a clear-eyed "answer" to authors like Deepak Chopra , the mesmerizing author of Ageless Body, Timeless Mind (1993) and many other books, who would have us believe in pollyannaish possibilities.

While I agree that some kind of counter balance to the feel-good fuzziness of some New Age authors is necessary, I think that Olshansky and Carnes may have hurt their cause by not emphasizing the fact that humans need hope perhaps as much as they need factual knowledge. Furthermore, I think the authors may have aimed a little below their readership; witness the fact that the word "senescence" virtually does not appear in the book and is not in the index. Also, do they really think that their readers need to be advised (see page 35) that Tao is pronounced "Dow"?

Nonetheless, this is an attractive book and an easy read. I particularly liked the chapter on antioxidants, which makes it clear that such supplements are unlikely to be of any value in fighting senescence. Also excellent is the Appendix which is a "Life Table" giving years and days of life remaining for males and females at any age from 0 to 110 along with the probability of living to the next birthday. If you're male and a year old all the way up to being 29-years-old, you have a 99.9 percent probability of living to your next birthday. If you're a female, extend that to age 41. If you're a fifty-year-old woman, you have, on average, 11,651 days of life left.

Rating:
Summary: Senescence simplified
Review: Dr. Andrew Weil provides an endorsement on the back cover saying "This is by far the best book I've read on the science of aging." I wonder why. It is definitely NOT the best book I've read on the science of aging. Better are: Austad, Steven N. Why We Age: What Science Is Discovering about the Body's Journey Through Life. (1997); Clark, William R. A Means to an End: The Biological Basis of Aging and Death (1999); and Hayflick, Leonard. How and Why We Age (1994)--see my reviews at Amazon.com. All three of these books explain aging and the evolutionary necessity for death better than Olshansky and Carnes.

I think what Andrew Weil liked about this book is the authors' endorsement of alternative medicine and their mention of Dr. Weil as "a leading proponent of this approach...emphasizing the importance of the natural healing and protective powers of the body in a way that is identical to that of evolutionary medicine." (pp. 146-147) It should be understood that while the authors endorse the principles of evolutionary medicine they do not endorse the use of many popular food supplements as a means of gaining longevity, including some advocated by Dr. Weil. Of course, Weil advocates their use for "optimum health" not as a means to anything like immortality. See his engaging best-seller, Eating Well for Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Food, Diet, and Nutrition (2000).

What this book has going for it is a clear statement of the demographic facts about aging and death, and some good arguments explaining why the facts are as they are and not as we would like them to be. In particular, we are warned about the "Prolongevists" who make unsubstantiated claims about the possibility of living very long lives or of attaining immortality. They begin with the Taoists and the alchemists, through Roger Bacon and Luigi Cornaro, to the unnamed "advocates of extreme prolongevity" who, it is implied, believe that "meditating and eating fresh fruits and vegetables" will lead to "an ageless body and timeless mind," (p. 235), and they debunk them all. In a sense, theirs is an extended argument against buying any snake oil (in bottle or book form) that promises anything beyond the actuary tables. Clearly Olshansky and Carnes see their book as a clear-eyed "answer" to authors like Deepak Chopra , the mesmerizing author of Ageless Body, Timeless Mind (1993) and many other books, who would have us believe in pollyannaish possibilities.

While I agree that some kind of counter balance to the feel-good fuzziness of some New Age authors is necessary, I think that Olshansky and Carnes may have hurt their cause by not emphasizing the fact that humans need hope perhaps as much as they need factual knowledge. Furthermore, I think the authors may have aimed a little below their readership; witness the fact that the word "senescence" virtually does not appear in the book and is not in the index. Also, do they really think that their readers need to be advised (see page 35) that Tao is pronounced "Dow"?

Nonetheless, this is an attractive book and an easy read. I particularly liked the chapter on antioxidants, which makes it clear that such supplements are unlikely to be of any value in fighting senescence. Also excellent is the Appendix which is a "Life Table" giving years and days of life remaining for males and females at any age from 0 to 110 along with the probability of living to the next birthday. If you're male and a year old all the way up to being 29-years-old, you have a 99.9 percent probability of living to your next birthday. If you're a female, extend that to age 41. If you're a fifty-year-old woman, you have, on average, 11,651 days of life left.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and Refreshingly Honest
Review: I picked up a copy of The Quest for Immortality: Science at the Frontiers of Aging after watching Dr. Olshansky discuss his book and issues associated with human aging on Orange County Television in early January. Having been intrigued by the changes I've seen in my own body through the decades, I found Olshansky's perspective on aging to be fascinating and refreshingly honest. With a copy of his book in hand..., I flipped it over to find endorsements from what I have since discovered is a powerful set of authorities on aging. I was most surprised to find a glowing endorsement from Dr. Andrew Weil, who suggested that this was the best book on the science of aging that he had ever read. Over the years I have come to admire, respect and trust Dr. Weil, and now having read the book he so heartily endorsed, I can see why Dr. Weil and this authoritative group would provide such laudatory comments. What these authors did was, perhaps for the first time that I've seen, provide the general public with a scientifically accurate view of human aging that is easily digestible by everyone. None of the hype; no lies about how we can all stop or reverse aging or achieve an Ageless Body and Timeless Mind as suggested by Deepak Chopra (I've read all of his books); none of the exaggeration or lies about stopping or reversing aging by eating vitamins or antioxidants; and none of the hoopla like that coming from the world of anti-aging medicine where they would have you believe that aging can be reversed with the use of hormones or mind control. Olshansky and Carnes use the first chapter to take the reader on what I found to be a fascinating journey through the history of thought on aging and death. I discovered that the 120 year lifespan thought by many to be the scientific view of how long we can all live, actually comes from a passage in the Old Testament. The origin of alchemy came not from any great desire to transmute lead into gold for aesthetic purposes - gold was sought after because people thought it would make them live longer if they ate it. What I found most fascinating was the description of the legends passed down through the centuries designed to convince people that much longer lives are possible, legends that have made their way into contemporary literature and the ommercialization of anti-aging products (which are described in some detail later in the book). Olshansky and Carnes avoid criticizing directly any of the modern longevity salesmen. What they do instead is let us look at the historical and contemporary world of aging through their eyes, which then makes painfully obvious how those who know very little about aging, are trying to exploit the general public for profit. Not surprisingly, this shameless exploitation has been going on for thousands of years. In later chapters, Olshansky and Carnes explain why life expectancy cannot rise to the levels claimed by many scientists; why there is a scientific reason to expect a link between when sex and death occur; how medical technology contributes to our longer lifespan; the true story behind antioxidants and how scientists may be closing in on a genuine pharmaceutical fountain of youth; the frontier of genetic engineering that will change life and death as we know it; and how the modern approach to medicine may not be the best approach we need to take when it comes to the diseases and disorders associated with growing older. It is also obvious now why Dr. Weil so heartily endorsed this book, because Olshansky and Carnes echo Weil's perspective that one of the best ways to deal with health problems associated with growing older is to enhance the body's ability to heal itself. The Quest for Immortality deserves the accolades it has received. I anticipate that the anti-aging industry is going to be very upset about being exposed for having perpetuated a three-thousand year old legend about human aging and longevity. The authors of these anti-aging books are going to be even more upset for having been exposed as either frauds, or trying to make the public feel guilty about aging in order to persuade them to buy their worthless or unproven products. Ignore them all. Olshansky and Carnes know the science, they authoritatively inform us that the most important elements of aging are within our control, and they explain in simple and clear language why most people have the opportunity to enhance the quality of their life, no matter how old they are, and how such improvements can be achieved. Finally, someone who knows what they're talking about is willing to tell us the truth about aging!!

Rating:
Summary: informative, but unrealistically conservative
Review: I read The Quest For Immortality last spring with some expectation that my preconceptions about aging research would be seriously challenged. Instead, afterward I had the impression that, if this is the best these authors can do to debunk the claims of "prolongevists," then I'm more confident than ever that substantial life extension will be a reality in the near future.

Olshansky and Carnes agree with a variation of the commonly held "wear and tear" theory of aging--a version which holds that accumulated, random unrepaired damage, over time, causes aging. In their view, aging is not programmed by evolution, but results because our cells, though remarkably good at repairing random DNA damage, still do not do so perfectly. But in stating this, Olshansky and Carnes have to ignore some fairly obvious things.

First, somatic cells have, in vitro, been brought from a senescent state back to a more youthful state. So it is clear that not all somatic cells suffer from degraded DNA that induces senescence; it is also clear that the senescence of at least some cells is not the result of random DNA errors, or it could not be so easily reversed.

Second, nowhere is this supposedly critical random DNA damage quantified. Nowhere do they tell you how prevalent the accumulated damage is, how many or what genes it affects, or what tissues suffer most from it. In contrast, adherents of other theories can at least quantify certain aspects of things such as hormone levels or telomere shortening.

Although this book is written in an entertaining style that is well-targeted to the lay reader, I cannot give it more than three stars, not only because I think their reasoning is not persuasive, but also because I think their writing has been deficient in several places. Some examples:

(1) On p. 187, they start a chapter by saying that telomerase was discovered in 1998, and reported with great fanfare. This is not true. I have not been able to find the exact date of discovery, but telomerase was discovered no later than about 1989; this appears to revolve around work done by Carol Greider and Cal Harley at Cold Spring Harbor NY. The 1998 discoveries involved consequences to cells (renewed ability to divide) when telomerase was activated in those cells.

(2) One of the authors starts the book with a foreword in which he heaps scorns on the misguided health concerns of his in-laws--not a high note on which to begin a supposedly serious discussion!

(3) In a similar vein, another chapter starts with several derogatory remarks about the work of Michael Rose with fruit flies. Later, they speak of him in a more complimentary way. If the authors don't think much of Rose's work, fair enough; but they should just say so, and forthrightly tell you why. There seems a puzzling contrast between the different comments made about Rose's work.

(4) Around page 192, in discussing caloric restriction experiments with animals, they suppose that the control animals were allowed to "lay around and get fat," so that the findings would not be generalizable to other normal (not obese) animals. The usual assumption would be that the caloric intake of both groups would be regulated, at different levels. There is no confirmation that this was not the case. Some clarification could be helpful here.

Olshansky and Carnes have used questionable reasoning elsewhere as well. In an article in Scientific American around the time of the book's release, they paint a whimsical picture of what humans would be like if we were designed by nature to live decades longer than we do. Knee joints would be equipped for durability, not speed. Throats would be shaped to prevent choking. And so on. But nature does not design animals to hang on during an extended period of decline; and the aim of prolongevists is likewise not to extend a terminal period of decline, but to preserve youthful functioning. So it's not clear what their purpose is in putting forth this fictional scenario.

Aging research is a field sorely in need of clarification of important questions that are not adequately addressed by this book.

Rating:
Summary: Death and Taxes
Review: If I have learned anything worthwhile from this book, I now realize that it may be possible to avoid taxes with a good accountant, but death is inevitable.

Now that I don't have to worry about the misconceptions and outright falsehoods about what I can do to guarantee a longer life, I can concentrate on a happier and hopefully healthier one. This book should lift a load of worry off people's backs.

This book is easy, enjoyable and sometimes very funny reading. I wish all scientists and doctors would read it.

Rating:
Summary: Death and Taxes
Review: If I have learned anything worthwhile from this book, I now realize that it may be possible to avoid taxes with a good accountant, but death is inevitable.

Now that I don't have to worry about the misconceptions and outright falsehoods about what I can do to guarantee a longer life, I can concentrate on a happier and hopefully healthier one. This book should lift a load of worry off people's backs.

This book is easy, enjoyable and sometimes very funny reading. I wish all scientists and doctors would read it.

Rating:
Summary: Live well now cause lightening can kill you tomorrow
Review: Just shy of 250 pages the chapters include Death and Immortality Early Views, Sex and Death, Life Expectancy, the Public Health Experiment, Manufactured Time, Antioxidants,the Genetic Frontier, Long Life and Fleeting Youth, Longevity for Sale, A Prescription for the 21st Century.

What I found so interesting about the book and how the authors tackle sciences quest to stop or slow down the aging process is the fact that this has been a quest from the centuries ago. That for some reason people fear living rather than death, and that by trying to stop the aging process, people are actually procrastinating and trying to put off making the needed lifestyle choices that would make our lives richer and better lived.

It is also nice to read a book that reminds the reader that no matter how hard we may try, we cannot outsmart Mother nature, and that the simple fact that as soon as we tackle one disease, evolution and genetics itself, throws another disease out to tease the scientific minds.

Rating:
Summary: The Immortalist Manifesto to balance this Pessimistic Book?
Review: Many scientists with impeccable pedigree claimed that we could never harness the power of the atom, or land a human on the moon. And they were all wrong! And Olshansky and Carnes are going to be proven wrong too.

If you buy this book, make sure you balance it with THE IMMORTALIST MANIFESTO: Stay Young & Save the World by Elixxir. Available also on Amazon. Harvard's bestselling public intellectual Cornel West has described the author as "FIRST RATE! ORIGINAL...RAZOR-SHARP." This book is to the Immortalist movement what Silent Spring was to the environmental movement, or The Feminine Mystique to the feminist.

And what's most important, it points out that the anti-aging life-extension breakthroughs are inevitable, but not guaranteed to come in time to save you or me. But it then tells us how to speed up the arrival of these breakthroughs. Beware. The Immortalist Manifesto is very provocative and in your face.

Rating:
Summary: Living Life One Day at a Time
Review: The Quest for Immortality by Olshansky and Carnes was given to me as a gift by a friend who knows my obsession with aging and health. I expected another scientific view of aging written in an incomprehensible language, but was drawn in immediately by the author's easy writing style. Be prepared for a surprise! Once you get to the end of this book you'll understand what aging is really all about, and why many of us (myself included) have fallen into a trap of false hope about the so-called health benefits of products touted by their proponents as ways to stop or reverse aging. These authors obviously know what they're talking about, and perhaps more important, they found a way to tell us about aging in way that is interesting and understandable. Will I live my life differently as a result? Absolutely! I'm going to stop obsessing about aging and do my best to follow the author's tongue-in-cheek recipe for health and longevity contained in the last chapter. I'll also look at the daily stories about anti-aging products with a healthy dose of skepticism. I think the quote from Tuesday's With Morrie in their last chapter says it all; "If you're always battling against getting older, you're always going to be unhappy, because it will happen anyhow." The time has arrived to live life one day at a time.

Rating:
Summary: Living Life One Day at a Time
Review: The Quest for Immortality by Olshansky and Carnes was given to me as a gift by a friend who knows my obsession with aging and health. I expected another scientific view of aging written in an incomprehensible language, but was drawn in immediately by the author's easy writing style. Be prepared for a surprise! Once you get to the end of this book you'll understand what aging is really all about, and why many of us (myself included) have fallen into a trap of false hope about the so-called health benefits of products touted by their proponents as ways to stop or reverse aging. These authors obviously know what they're talking about, and perhaps more important, they found a way to tell us about aging in way that is interesting and understandable. Will I live my life differently as a result? Absolutely! I'm going to stop obsessing about aging and do my best to follow the author's tongue-in-cheek recipe for health and longevity contained in the last chapter. I'll also look at the daily stories about anti-aging products with a healthy dose of skepticism. I think the quote from Tuesday's With Morrie in their last chapter says it all; "If you're always battling against getting older, you're always going to be unhappy, because it will happen anyhow." The time has arrived to live life one day at a time.