do you know the cause of aging? Nobody does. Instead, what we do is address the symptoms, because that generally leads to longevity and higher quality of life in older years. That's what the medical system is dedicated to doing. I say this with full knowledge that my friends who work at Buck Institute of Aging are working on the underlying causes of aging and they've all said it's better to focus on treating those symptoms.

BTW what you've said is also fairly philosophical. It would be completely correct to say that heart disease is a cause of aging, under a reasonable definition of aging.