First, lets discuss the difference between biological aging and true age. Biological age is measured by changes in DNA that accumulate as humans get older. These markers are the ones which showed signs of reversal, not any outward appearances.
Volunteers took a combination of growth hormone, diabetes medication, and hormones for a year. On average, participants took 2.5 years off their biological age, proving it was possible to reverse the clock on predicted age.
The problem with the study is the inability to determine the true causes of the reversal. Was it just one drug in particular? Did the volunteers live healthier lives because of the study, meaning the drugs themselves were actually irrevelant?
This could be an interesting feature of a dystopian future, one where the rich and elite are able to minimize the affects of time on their DNA and therefore live fuller lives as they age, leaving the less wealthy to age according to their biological clocks. After a few generations of this there would be a stark difference in the amount of wealth collected by certain families, which could give rise to independent fiefdoms, similar to the show “Into the Badlands.”
Another way this could be used would be for space travel. Taking this idea of a drug cocktail further, it could be possible to extend lifetimes during deep-space missions, giving rise to all sorts of societal conflicts which could pop up in transit or as the spacecraft approaches its destination.
