Anti aging has become the latest craze.

Wherever we look at, we can see a product or two that promotes anti aging. Anti aging now has a number of quite different common meanings and connotations. Different communities view anti aging in a different way causing a stir and marked confusion.

Whether anti aging is a fact or a myth, the quest for the elixir of youth continues. With this article, I hope to help you make some informed decisions as to whether anti aging products are right for you, and if so, which ones offer real value for money, and which are simply "snake oil" products to stear clear of.

For the scientific community, anti-aging research refers exclusively to slowing, preventing, or reversing the aging process. Obviously as of this time, there are no medical technologies that allow this to be done. Although the scientific community has taken steps to promote anti aging jury such as imposing calorie restriction in humans.

Nor is there any currently available method that can accurately measure the effects of an alleged anti aging therapy.

More than simple prevention.

In the medical and more reputable business community, anti aging medicine means early detection, prevention, and reversal of age-related diseases.

This is quite different from tackling the aging process itself. They acknowledged aging but find means to postpone it. At this point, there is a wide range of strategies and therapies currently available.

Calorie restriction, for instance, is a demonstrated way to lower risk for a wide range of age-related degenerative conditions.

Exercise could be another effective way to promote anti aging.

The majority in business community view anti aging as a valuable brand and one of the best ways to increase sales. We cannot ignore the fact that a number of fraudulent and frivolous business ventures have sprouted these days due to this.

At the other end of the scale, we could see scrupulous businesses who promote exotic products such as snake oil and market them as anti aging products. We also hear of anti aging cremes that may or may not make your skin look younger. And a number of infomercials that promote the anti-aging benefits of exercise machines.

Broadly, and very charitably, we can look at these varied definitions of anti-aging as meaning "to look and feel younger in some way" which actually has no bearing on how long you live or how healthy you actually are.

Copyright 2005 Mike Spencer