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In view of the current claim by many researchers that biological aging is a treatable disease, the possibility is discussed whether the claim is realistic, based on several proposed mechanisms of aging. The definition of biological aging is stated referring to physiological aging and pathological aging, since biological aging must be defined for the discussion of whether it can be cured. Aging in animal model is compared with that in humans in terms of common age-associated phenotypes. Major proposed mechanisms of aging are next examined including Genome Instability Theory of aging, Free Radical or Oxidative Stress Theory of Aging, Mitochondrial Theory of Aging, Error Catastrophe Theory of Aging/Translational Error Theory of Aging, Altered Protein Theory of Aging/Proteostasis Theory of Aging, and Epigenetic Theory of Aging. Finally, we discuss whether treatment of aging as a disease is realistic in comparison with possible lifespan extension by retardation of biological aging.
Sataro Goto (Sun,) studied this question.