Longevity is a vascular question, which has been well expressed in the axiom that man is only as old as his arteries. To a majority of men death comes primarily or secondarily through this portal. The onset of what may be called physiological arterio-sclerosis depends, in the first place, on the quality of arterial tissue which the individual has inherited, and secondarily on the amount of wear and tear to which he has subjected it. — Sir William Osler, 1891

We found that over 50% of age related mortality and disability is the result of vascular diseases in our recent investigation into the priorities for aging research (details here).  Our finding was merely a confirmation of a fact that has been well known for over a century, as this quote makes clear.  Yet research into vascular disease receives less than 15% of NIH research funding (Gillum 2011).

Further Reading:

• Quote taken from: Lim, M. A., & Townsend, R. R. (2009). Arterial compliance in the elderly: its effect on blood pressure measurement and cardiovascular outcomes. Clinics in geriatric medicine, 25(2), 191-205.
• Gillum, Leslie A., et al. (2011). NIH disease funding levels and burden of disease. PLoS One 6.2, e16837.