Longevity in the 21st Century: From Life Extension to Health Expansion Introduction: A Shift in Paradigm — Not Just More Years, But More Healthy Years Longevity in the 21st century has ceased to be a rare phenomenon and has become a global trend, driven by the synthesis of achievements in medicine, biotechnology, and socio-economic changes. If in the 20th century the key task was to overcome child mortality and infectious diseases, which led to a sharp increase in life expectancy, then the challenge of the current century is the fight against chronic age-related diseases and the compression of morbidity (squeezing the period of illness to the end of life). Modern science of aging — gerontology — shifts the focus from the treatment of individual diseases to the impact on the fundamental mechanisms of aging as the root cause. Scientific Foundations: Nine Hallmarks of Aging and How to Influence Them In 2013, in a landmark article by Carlos López-Otín, nine molecular and cellular signs of aging were formulated. They have become a roadmap for research in the field of longevity: Genomic instability (accumulation of DNA damage). Shortening of telomeres (protective "caps" at the ends of chromosomes). Epi-genetic changes (disruption of "reading" genes without changing the DNA code). Loss of proteostasis (failure in the protein quality control system). Disruption of nutrient regulation (reduced sensitivity to insulin, etc.). Mitochondrial dysfunction (cellular energy stations). Cellular aging (senescence) — accumulation of "zombie cells" that do not divide but secrete harmful substances. Exhaustion of the stem cell pool. Change in intercellular communication (chronic systemic inflammation — "inflammaging"). Modern strategies are aimed at correcting these signs. For example: Senolytics — a class of drugs that selectively destroy senescent "zombie cells". Quercetin (found in apples, onions) and dasatinib (a leukemia drug) in combination have shown an anti-aging effect on animal ... Read more