Reprogram aging: Peter Bely presented mechanisms for prolonging active youth

At the II Forum "Russia and the World: Trends in Healthy Longevity," Peter Bely, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PROMOMED, spoke at the session "Genetic and Pharmacogenetic Technologies for maintaining a healthy life." The discussion was moderated by Maria Vorontsova, Director of the Medical Research and Educational Institute of Lomonosov Moscow State University. Peter Bely shared the modern concept of influencing the mechanisms of aging. He suggested perceiving the process as a plastic biological program amenable to correction.

The modern paradigm is based on a focus on reducing systemic metabolic stress and protecting cellular DNA. Metabolic disorders provoke chronic systemic stress, which accelerates age-related changes at the tissue and DNA levels.

In this context, obesity is considered as metabolic rigidity, impaired cellular homeostasis, chronic inflammation, and the epigenetic phenotype of accelerated aging. Weight loss in this case fades into the background, and the priority becomes restoring metabolic health and reducing the dysfunctionality of adipose tissue, which acts as a source of pro-inflammatory signals and factors of cellular aging.

Peter Bely considers intergenerational transmission of metabolic problems and the phenomenon of desogenous epigenetic memory to be key risk factors. The lifestyle and metabolic state of the parents can affect the health of the offspring. The difficulty lies in the fact that the epigenetic memory of visceral fat can persist even after weight loss. This means that the risk of re-gaining body weight remains high. Obesity has ceased to be a medical problem of an individual patient. This is a factor that can have an impact on the health of future generations.

The PROMOMED expert identifies incretinomimetics among promising therapeutic strategies. They mimic the molecular effects of starvation and protect target organs. Weight loss in this context is a visible, but not the main effect of therapy. Another area is the protection of genetic potential through the effects on telomeres. A scientific breakthrough is associated with the discovery of a mechanism by which the shortest and most damaged telomeres are stabilized and lengthened. This approach is designed to reduce the risk of genetic instability and uncontrolled cell growth.

The presented concept is based on the principle of sequential action from correcting systemic metabolism to maintaining cellular resistance mechanisms. In conclusion, we emphasize that aging is a biological program that can be reprogrammed using epigenetic interventions, and metabolic health serves as the main lever of such management.