New congressional caucus recognizes importance of longevity science
/A handful of congressmen are committed to educating their colleagues about the growing field of longevity science.
Announced on Feb. 21, the new bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Longevity Science plans to educate members about aging and longevity biotechnology and promote initiatives to increase the healthy average lifespan of all Americans.
While longevity research has very much taken center stage in both medicine and science, government organizations in the United States have been slow to recognize breakthroughs and encourage life-saving behaviors and practices. That may help to explain why, for the first time in decades, U.S. life expectancy dropped to 76.4 in 2021, fueled by increases in heart disease, cancer, drug overdoses, and COVID-19.
The caucus may help to break down the skepticism that many members of Congress appear to have about the field.
“With life expectancy in the United States at its lowest in decades, we in Congress need to come together to address this decline and support science and research that will enable people to live fuller and healthier lives,” said Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY), co-founder of the group. “I … look forward to working in strong bipartisan fashion to help improve our quality and longevity of life, particularly in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases with aging as the greatest risk factor.”
The group’s co-founder, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), said, "Increasing life expectancy and promoting positive health outcomes are important priorities, and the formation of this caucus is an important step toward achieving those goals.”
We applaud the caucus’ formation, but hope its members look beyond the basic science to extend healthy human life.
An article by Harvard physician Robert H. Schmerling recently pointed out that some of the factors that threaten life expectancy have less to do with cutting-edge science than societal responsibility.
“Those with the shortest life expectancies in the U.S. tend to have the most poverty, face the most food insecurity, and have less or no access to healthcare, all factors that contribute to lower life expectancy,” he wrote. “Additionally, groups with lower life expectancy tend to have higher-risk jobs that can’t be performed virtually, live in more crowded settings, and have less access to vaccination, which increases the risk of becoming sick with or dying of COVID-19.”
The new caucus could have an immediate impact on average longevity by simply making sure that food and healthcare become consistently accessible to the population.