Re: How does one go about ceasing the aging process?

That is a big, big question that has been the subject of much debate and thought 
throughout the history of mankind.  I’ll split my answer, which is by not 
comprehensive by any means, into two sections:

One question is; what can you, as an existing individual, do to prevent the effects of 
ageing?  So far, nothing can stop the aging process completely, but there are steps 
you can take that give you a good chance of extending your life.  You’ve probably 
heard these before:

-Don’t smoke.  If your question were “How can I speed up the ageing process”, my 
answer would be: smoke a lot.  Smoking creates a lot of oxidative damage in the 
body, which seems to be one of the primary causes of ageing.  In addition, it 
increases your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease dramatically.  These are 
the most common causes of death.

-Eat a healthy diet:  While people will debate what is the best way to eat, most 
everyone (even Atkins, despite what you may have heard!) agrees that you should 
eat a lot of vegetables.  French fries don’t count.  Studies that look at the longest-
lived people in the world consistently find that they eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, 
and whole grains.  The longest-lived people in the world can be found in Okinawa, 
Japan.  In addition to fruits, leafy vegetables, and whole grains, they eat a lot of 
sweet potatoes, oily fish, tofu, and green tea.  If they drink at all, it is in moderation. 

-Exercise regularly.  This will help your entire body.  As people age, their muscles 
get weaker, their joints lose range of motion, their heart and lungs deteriorate, their 
blood vessels lose elasticity, and their bones lose density.  All of these are signs of 
ageing, and exercise fights every one of them.

-Learn to manage stress.  Being stressed out leads to elevated levels of the 
hormone cortisol.  Chronically elevated cortisol levels accelerate many effects of 
ageing.

Some people consider cosmetic surgery as a way to fight the effects of ageing, but 
this is a superficial solution.

Another question is:  Is there a way to create human beings that do not age?  Of 
course, pursuing such a thing would be fraught with ethical issues even if it were 
technically possible, but let’s explore the possibilities.

First of all, we would need to thoroughly understand why and how we age, down to 
the molecular level, which is still a long ways off.  However, scientists study 
longevity in experimental organisms such as Fruit flies, worms, and mice.  They 
have identified several genes that play a role in ageing.  How much relevance 
these findings have for extending human lifespan remains to be seen.

Assuming we have a thorough understanding of ageing some day, it might, and I 
mean *might*, be possible to genetically modify a human in such a way as to slow 
down or halt the effects of ageing.  However, this would be decades or centuries in 
the future.  Until then, eat your vegetables.