Life Extension

The Life Extension Foundation, a nonprofit group devoted to the extension of the general quality and duration of the human lifespan, has its roots in the work of Saul Kent, a prominent life extension and cryonics activist, in the 1960s.

Intrigued by the book The Prospect of Immortality by Robert Ettinger, the Life Extension Foundation co-founder Kent spent much of the 1960s and 1970s promoting cryonics-or freezing the body shortly after death in the belief that future science will be able to revive it and cure any ailments-as a means of life extension with his foundation the Cryonics Society of New York (CSNY) and its publication Cryonics Report.

Kent's work with the CSNY, along with the work of co-founders Karl Werner and Curtis Henderson, and subsequent books and television appearances by Kent on the topic of life extension led to the formal establishment of the Life Extension Foundation in 1980.

The goal of the Life Extension Foundation and its publication Life Extension Magazine is to promote the latest science; theories; nutrient, hormone, and drug treatment; and news in fields that combat aging, fight disease, and promote living a longer, healthier, and more youthful life for an unlimited amount of time.

The Life Extension Foundation has one retail location in Florida and an online mail-order store to market all of the vitamins, supplements, cosmetics, food, herbs, and other formulas that the Life Extension Foundation promotes as aids in combating aging and increasing energy.

Although the Life Extension Foundation fully stands behind its products and therapies, they recommend that you consult a physician before treatment and many of the Life Extension Foundation products are not endorsed by the FDA.

In fact, key players in the Life Extension Foundation, Kent and Bill Faloon, were faced with criminal charges in the early 90s for selling the Life Extension Foundation products and claiming that aging was a disease and life extension was a valid treatment category; however, charges were dropped against the Life Extension Foundation several years later.

The Life Extension Foundation has been credited with funding research and leading to new developments in experimenting with cells, genes, and calorie intake in combating diseases such as Parkinson's disease, heart disease, Alzheimer's, stroke, cancer, and macular degeneration. The Life Extension Foundation aims to one day control human aging and eliminate degenerative disease so that a typical human lifespan can be centuries long.

Membership in the Life Extension Foundation ranges from $75 for a one-year membership to $1500 for a lifetime membership. Membership allows you to purchase all of the Life Extension Foundation products at a discount and provides you with a subscription to Life Extension Magazine. Life Extension Foundation members also have access to the Life Extension Foundation health advisors by phone during most of the day.

For more information on the Life Extension Foundation, visit lef.org.