Dr Christophe de Jaeger: “More and more people want to take care of themselves before becoming ill”

in collaboration with

Dr Christophe de Jaeger (Longevity and geriatrics)

What advances have been made in the field of longevity in recent years?

Dr Christophe de Jaeger: I would like to point out first of all that there has been no major discovery in terms of treatments: no drug or revolutionary molecule which could have marked geriatrics in recent years. On the other hand, a study led by Dr. Barzillai began in the United States to study the benefit of an old antidiabetic molecule, metformin, on the quality of aging. This study was authorized by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), showing the interest of the American authorities in the process of senescence. This study is very interesting because it highlights the interest of health authorities in primary prevention which is at the center of my work.

On the other hand, and this seems important to me to underline, there is an increasingly marked consideration among our contemporaries of their health capital. In geriatrics, we note the importance of detecting fragilities, these failures which ultimately lead to loss of autonomy and institutionalization. In longevity medicine, I would say that there are more and more articles interested in physiological age and that there is a real emergence of people who want to take care of themselves before being patients and to do this scientifically improve their health capital.

Which ones do you think will mark 2024?

I think that we will be a continuation of what I have just mentioned. In longevity medicine, people want to avoid illness, even before it begins, and at an increasingly younger age. Some use truly innovative applications, such as MyLifeCare, which allows you to establish an objective assessment of your state of health and offers monitoring adapted to each individual.

In geriatric medicine, I think that we will see continuity in the field of research, particularly in the treatment of fragilities: weight loss, difficulty getting up, memory and mental disorders. balance… so many elements which gradually lead to a loss of autonomy. Assessments already exist to detect these weaknesses in seniors: we make these people work on these points of weakness, in order to prevent loss of autonomy. This is expected to grow more and more in the years to come.

What could this change in the daily life of the general public?

The deterioration that individuals are currently experiencing will slowly reverse. Taking care of yourself requires actions to be carried out on a daily basis, but also awareness and strong willpower.

In your opinion, is there a line of research that could revolutionize your field?

The rebalancing of physiological functions must become widespread, this is a subject that I address in my latest book: Longevity medicine, a revolution at Editions Tredaniel. It’s just knowledge that we all have and overlook. We will use all this information to avoid getting sick. I think we will also experience a greater widespread use of regenerative medicine, which already exists, for example through skin grafts, which allow the skin to be repaired.

In the future, using stem cells, it will be possible to repair organs, much like repairing a car. But we will not be immortal for all that, I think that the older the body gets, the more likely we are to see other dysfunctions or illnesses appear. And it is also a psychological limit that man cannot cross: I fundamentally believe that he is not designed to live very long, for example beyond 300 years. But here again, whoever lives will see, which is why it is important to manage our capital in an exemplary manner today in order to remain in good health for as long as possible and thus be able to benefit from all of today’s innovations and of tomorrow.