The Pace of Aging
"Youth is about optimism, well-being, and a goal to fight for"
Corina Cristea, 11.10.2024, 19:09
“Youth is about optimism, well-being, and a goal to fight for” – this is the creed that underpinned the work of Ana Aslan, one of the most prominent figures in world medicine, a pioneer of studies on longevity and geriatrics. Recognized for her discoveries in anti-aging medicine, including the revolutionary Gerovital H3, Ana Aslan has always emphasized the importance of healthy aging, emphasizing prevention and innovative treatments. In the 1950s she founded the National Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology, which carries her name, the first of its kind in the world, and which quickly became a center of excellence. Her research focused on prevention, anti-aging treatments, and a healthy lifestyle. These concepts are just as valid today, and her legacy continues to inspire new generations of researchers and physicians to seek solutions to maintain health and vitality in people as they age. Among them are Prof. Luiza Spiru, PhD, president of the Ana Aslan International Foundation, member of a group of WHO experts working to redefine the concept of active aging. According to international norms, aging can start after 65 years, but the reality is completely different, says Luiza Spiru – we can age faster than our chronological age. And unfortunately, she adds, globally, we are facing a real pandemic of premature brain aging, due to chronic stress, anxiety, depression. Lack of cerebral and intellectual exercise, negative feelings such as hatred or selfishness, lead to the early onset of neuro-degenerative diseases, explains Prof. Luiza Spiru, PhD, who draws attention to the fact that there are more and more cases of young people who age prematurely:
“We have redefined the concept of healthy aging, centered on the individual. Why? Because the individual does not live independently, but lives in an ecosystem, he lives surrounded by stressors, a life they live like this means aging. So then, this form of individual, personalized, holistic approach, but with individual solutions, becomes practically the new philosophy and the new concept adopted by the World Health Organization, which will be implemented everywhere in the world. And now, Romania also has this chance to benefit from prevention in terms of chronic diseases, because we are still in bad shape there. Speaking not only about international policies, but referring to what Romania has to do, we have a lot of work to do. And we have a lot of work to do not only training medical teams and implementing this policy for active and healthy aging, but also educating the beneficiaries of medical services. A country uneducated from this point of view cannot enjoy good health.”
Education is the key in a society bombarded by stressors, insists Prof. Luiza Spiru, PhD. Now we also have blood tests that evaluate different markers of biological aging and allow us to know at what rate a person is aging, or if there is a greater risk of developing a chronic disease, says Luiza Spiru, who spoke about the factors essential for longevity:
“First of all, they are represented by what we live every day and how we actually approach life. On an individual level, it means caring for ourselves, loving ourselves. Many people say, but why should I love myself, be selfish… Yes, you can be selfish in the most positive sense. It means paying attention to yourself, it means not going to the doctor only when you can’t take it anymore. It depends on each of us, but I will always say that we are what we live every day. I really want Romania to be on the map of the “blue zones” in the world. In 2021, I made a film with Digi World in which I visited some of the blue areas of Romania and met centenarians, people who are over 99 years old, and who have life histories that are difficult to understand for today’s young people, for these generations who live in a computer bombarded world. Centenarians who went through war, who went through all kinds of material frustrations, and who were never in doubt faced with life. And who socialize well into old age, and who have intellectual activities, and who cultivate their brains, even if they don’t know that they’re doing it, until they’re over 100 years old. They eat healthy, they enjoy life as it is, even though they have lost loved ones along their journey through this world, and who enjoy every thing they do. And who are happy when they wake up in the morning, happy they can walk, that they can go to church on Sunday, and that all their lives they have been responsible and assumed responsibilities and fulfilled them without blinking. Responsibility is one of the great qualities of those who have the chance to age actively and healthily.”
Life expectancy is increasing, including in Romania, which is a very good thing, but it is important that aging is not haphazard.
Says Luiza Spiru: “We all want to live long, well, to be independent in all respects, and for old age not to have gray clothes”.
