Healthy Life Function: A Hypothesis We Are Not Programmed to Age. We Are Programmed to Live

Aging has long been considered an inevitable, time-dependent process. Recently, the popular narrative in longevity research has framed aging as a disease. However, we propose that what is commonly referred to as aging is not a disease; in fact, our hypothesis asserts that the aging process, as traditionally understood, is not a programmed biological entity at all. There is only one process, the process of life: combustible, aggressive, dynamic, and ongoing. What we experience as aging is the sequelae of a disease we term Healthy Life Function Dysregulation (HLFD). HLFD is the cause of biological decline, resulting from systemic dysregulation rather than chronological time. HLFD manifests through the loss of regulatory function in metabolism, immune response, and cellular life cycles, driven by the decline in several regulatory molecules and pathways, all intrinsically tied to reproductive health. This paper argues that HLFD, rather than “aging,” should be the focus of longevity research. We question conventional interventions that attempt to slow down “aging” rather than address the biological equilibrium necessary for sustained life function. We propose that a mostly overlooked target, Klotho, a protein with pleiotropic effects that behaves broadly as a hormone, could be one of the most effective tools to combat this newly defined condition. Our hypothesis expands on DNA’s theoretical immortality, lacking an inherent aging program; it persists unless repair falters. We are programmed to live through a dynamic and adaptive process designed to forge life from abiotic matter. We ask if sustaining Klotho could theoretically extend human lifespan beyond the 122 years observed in Jeanne Calment, mirroring nature’s long-lived species by outpacing entropy’s wear. Bacteria like Deinococcus radiodurans, which repair DNA indefinitely, survive lethal radiation through robust repair mechanisms. Species like bowhead whales and bristlecone pines, living centuries to millennia, sustain reproduction throughout, reinforcing that life’s program is to perpetuate, procreate, and persist, not to age.