One of the fastest-growing new formats for health care is the longevity clinic — a medical practice devoted (usually exclusively) to promoting longevity. Sounds exciting, right? But what does the term actually mean?
A Google search turns up over 30 million results. Some are “longevity clinics.” But there are also “anti-aging clinics,” “wellness clinics,” “prevention clinics,” and more. Are there standard categories? Is the emphasis on prevention or on treatment? On prolonging lifespan or extending “healthspan?” What should you look for and how do you compare features and prices?
This is definitely a subject that SuperAgers should start to pay more attention to. So we were pleased to see, as reported here, this survey of 51 longevity clinics from around the world. It provides some valuable insights into what’s on offer and what might be coming next.
Some highlights:
— Respondents were asked to agree or disagree with the statement, “A clinic can only categorize itself as a longevity clinic if it helps clients manage their biological age.” Interestingly, there was no strong consensus: 47% agreed, 21% disagreed and 31% neither agreed nor disagreed. So the terminology is still very fluid, and the product and service mixes are still being defined.
— Although 86% of the clinics are staffed by senior doctors with more than 10 years’ clinical experience, 29% have no qualification or certificates in longevity medicine. “This reflects the fact that longevity science is not part of the curriculum at med school, and also demonstrates that some operating within longevity clinics are not trained in longevity concepts.” This is a real eye-opener: we haven’t yet looked at the gap between leading-edge longevity research and whether that research is reflected in med school training and primary care physician skill. It’s a topic we intend to pursue!
— Advanced diagnostics aren’t always there. 39% of clinics don’t perform any type of diagnostic imaging procedures, and 37% don’t perform any type of cardiovascular screening. About a quarter do offer full body MRI (although possibly outsourced).
— Core diagnostics are more solid. 72% of clinics use biomarker panels to determine a patient’s biological age, and 70% test at least some of the hallmarks of aging. 57% perform brain health screen procedures. 70% perform muscle strength tests, and 55% do microbiome testing.
— There’s a mix of therapies offered. 71% offer hormone replacement therapy, 46% offer IV nutrient infusion, and almost 60% offer in-house or outsourced aesthetic services. In fact, many started as primarily aesthetic clinics, focusing on looking younger.
— The category lags behind in use of technology to improve the patient access and experience. About 7 in 10 don’t have a mobile app or their own longevity portal/medical record system. Almost have are still using Excel or paper files.
This study opened up our eyes to the current state of play, from the patient’s point of view, in this fast-growing sector. We intend to follow it much more closely, to equip our readers with the knowledge to be able to more intelligently evaluate what’s in the marketplace.