Mystery of Immortality: Asians go to great lengths to cheat death

Asia is ageing faster than any other region in the world. Asia Pacific is now home to 630 million people aged 60 years and above, accounting for almost 60% of the world’s older population. As per forecasts, the number will reach 1.3 billion by 2050.

Numerous Asians are now diligently exploring the idea of living longer. But what lengths will they go to in efforts to reverse the ageing process?

It’s not unusual to find people going to a clinic for a health check. But some in Singapore like to go to Regenosis. It’s not a healthcare facility but has a team of specialist doctors tasked with helping clients fight the ageing process through customised programmes.

The longevity centre helps clients bring major changes to their lifestyle, and in the process, get an ‘overhaul’ to their bodies. The procedures improve health, but lifestyle tweaks are just a part of what is offered there.

A growing number of centres in Asia are now offering regenerative medicine through stem cell therapy, and Regenosis is one of them. But strict limitations in Singapore have made it almost impossible for the therapy to be administered here. Interested clients, therefore, travel to the firm’s facility across the Causeway to go through it.

Such therapy uses stem cells in the hope that they will repair and regenerate diseased tissues and cells, Professor William Hwang from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre explained. But to check if stem cell therapy truly helps slow down ageing, further studies among a large population are required, he added.

The appeal of the longevity industry for investors and private sector firms cannot be ignored. In recent years, several big investors have been pouring more and more money into age reversal research, accelerating growth in such fields.