Have We Reached Peak Human Life Span? (nytimes.com) 36
The oldest human on record, Jeanne Calment of France, lived to the age of 122. What are the odds that the rest of us get there, too? Not high, barring a transformative medical breakthrough, according to research published this week in the journal Nature Aging. From a report: The study looked at data on life expectancy at birth collected between 1990 and 2019 from some of the places where people typically live the longest: Australia, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Data from the United States was also included, though the country's life expectancy is lower.
The researchers found that while average life expectancies increased during that time in all of the locations, the rates at which they rose slowed down. The one exception was Hong Kong, where life expectancy did not decelerate. The data suggests that after decades of life expectancy marching upward thanks to medical and technological advancements, humans could be closing in on the limits of what's possible for average life span. "We're basically suggesting that as long as we live now is about as long as we're going to live," said S. Jay Olshansky, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Illinois Chicago, who led the study. He predicted maximum life expectancy will end up around 87 years -- approximately 84 for men, and 90 for women -- an average age that several countries are already close to achieving.
The researchers found that while average life expectancies increased during that time in all of the locations, the rates at which they rose slowed down. The one exception was Hong Kong, where life expectancy did not decelerate. The data suggests that after decades of life expectancy marching upward thanks to medical and technological advancements, humans could be closing in on the limits of what's possible for average life span. "We're basically suggesting that as long as we live now is about as long as we're going to live," said S. Jay Olshansky, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Illinois Chicago, who led the study. He predicted maximum life expectancy will end up around 87 years -- approximately 84 for men, and 90 for women -- an average age that several countries are already close to achieving.
Re:France (Score:5, Insightful)
Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong eat a lot of vegetables and fish in thin stock which is why they live so long.
Re:France (Score:4, Insightful)
The parent and grandparent demonstrate why human life span is not increasing. Nobody knows what is a healthy diet - and this after at least 250 years of serious scientific research. Unfortunately the money for research came from those who hoped to profit from it. Thus, in the 18th and most of the 19th century the main objective was to feed workers as cheaply as possible so as to drive down wages. If they died at 40, too bad - as long as they had children.
Today diet in the West is probably significantly worse than in 19th century USA. People get too little healthy stimulation, sleep, sunshine, fresh air, exercise, clean water and red meat; and too much stress, pollution, and boring work.
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And as the Ignobel prize winning studied showed, the best way to have a long life is to live in a country with poor record keeping regarding birth dates. Turns out, those countries most like did NOT have longer lifespans after all.
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Many of the records were deliberately falsified, often to avoid conscription during WW1.
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Also, don't forget about the widespread social security fraud occurring in many of these "long lived' countries. Either the relatives or some third parties are cashing the deceased's checks.
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There's some evidence that Jean Calment's daughter, Yvonne, assumed Jean's identity in 1934 when Jean died. This was done to avoid some French inheritance and tax laws
They were probably not the first or last to do this.
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Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong eat a lot of vegetables and fish in thin stock which is why they live so long.
A recent study suggested that the common factor in all places with people having extraordinarily long lives is poor recordkeeping.
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Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong eat a lot of vegetables and fish in thin stock which is why they live so long.
A recent study suggested that the common factor in all places with people having extraordinarily long lives is poor recordkeeping.
Yes, I'm aware of that. However, you can't argue with all those 90+ year olds in Japan. Which is still further ahead than the U.S. life expectancy.
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Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong eat a lot of vegetables and fish in thin stock which is why they live so long.
A recent study suggested that the common factor in all places with people having extraordinarily long lives is poor recordkeeping.
Yes, I'm aware of that. However, you can't argue with all those 90+ year olds in Japan. Which is still further ahead than the U.S. life expectancy.
You most certainly can.
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However, you can't argue with all those 90+ year olds in Japan.
You most certainly can.
Why would elderly Japanese want to fake their birth records?
Was there some event happening in the 1940s that they could avoid by appearing to be older?
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At least for the men, was there conscription for women as well?
Re: France (Score:2)
My neighbor is in his 90's, and Caucasian. He served in the Navy during the Korean War.
He walks the neighborhood almost every day. The trick to a long life is winning the genetic lottery. Avoiding an early accidental death or easily avoidable risks, like smoking or obesity, tip you into a better statistical group as well.
He will likely remain in good health until one day an illness or accident catches up with him. Will he be around in 5 years? Maybe. In 15? Probably not. At that age avoiding pneumonia, flu,
Lifestyle + family + recordkeeping, not diet (Score:3)
Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong eat a lot of vegetables and fish in thin stock which is why they live so long.
As others have pointed out, there's little evidence that special diet makes you live abnormally long. I am a huge fan of Japanese diets, but it's not magic. Most of these "blue zone" people simply come from small villages with poor record keeping, as others have pointed out.
A lot of research says the primary reason is more that Japan and other nations give the elderly a purpose. I am a huge believer in the Kill Bill quote
"They say the number one killer of old people is retirement. People got 'em a job to do, they tend to live a little longer so they can do it."
. If your grandma just sits around her house bored all day, I don't think any he
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I am NO FAN OF HIS, but he's old as dirt,
He's only 78. My dad is older than him and far more coherent. Not to mention my dad isn't fat.
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Blue zones do not exist (Score:1)
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The French are brought up by a lot of pro-saturated-fat and pro-carnivore Internet influencers as proof of their positions, but these influencers don't understand the science and, to put it bluntly, draw stupid conclusions.
It is true that the French are outliers on the relation to saturated fat consumption and cardiovascular disease, but this doesn't disprove the relationship between fat consumption and CVD. People who cite the French as disproof of the saturated fat/CVD connection want you to look at an o
90? Nah thats not peak that's a plateau (Score:2)
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True, we have gotten pretty good at stopping the things that cut lives short, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer...
We have only recently started making discoveries on a cellular level that reduce cellular degeneration, improve mitochondrial function, clear out senescent cells, etc...
These will be the discoveries that truly extend human lives, until the next step of genetic manipulation produce "humans" (Homo Sapiens Modificus?) that live spectacularly long lives and suffer from few or no ailments
The
Yeah (Score:2)
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Yeah probably. That's why the government got everyone to take the covid vaccine. Too many people on social security.
People were dying long before the vaccine came out. The main people hit were those with pre-existing medical conditions, the obese, the old, and the stupid. After the vaccines came out it was mainly those with pre-existing medical conditions and the [imgur.com] stupid [imgur.com] who were dying [imgur.com].
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Why would they want to kill off republican voters?
Duplicate from yesterday (Score:2)
Rises In Life Expectancy Have Slowed Dramatically, Analysis Finds [slashdot.org]
My post in that story: https://slashdot.org/comments.... [slashdot.org]
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My mother is in her 90's, and did not do anything particularly athletic for years, even decades
She did stop smoking when her doctor told her it could be an issue, and she has recently stopped drinking since it conflicted with some medications she is on
She can't drive anymore and is starting to get issues with macular degeneration (blue eyes, desert environment), but is largely self sufficient beyond that doing her own laundry and cooking, also takes care of my sisters dogs (sister lives in attached apartmen
Re: Centennials (Score:1)
For all practical purposes yes (Score:1)
There seems to be no anti-aging nuttery like there is Space Nuttery, so enjoy your handful of useful decades evolution has randomly assigned you, I guess.
Anti-aging Space Nuttery! (Score:2)
There seems to be no anti-aging nuttery like there is Space Nuttery
Why not combine the two? If you can get up to close the speed of light then from someone on Earth's point of view you can practically live forever!
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Lol.
https://theconversation.com/th... [theconversation.com]
The life extension nuts are extra nutty. The anti- ones (the ones who use words like "nutters") are much less so. There's no particular reason we can't extend lifespans as much as we want. Once you can replace all the parts you're fine. A little bone marrow transplant with your banked or engineered cells would probably give you a nice boost, but nobody has quite had the guts and forethought to try it yet.
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There seems to be no anti-aging nuttery like there is Space Nuttery
Peter Thiel is one.
"Twenty-three skidoo, yes... but which CENTURY?" (Score:2)
Sure, if we continue to do nothing (Score:2)
Since ageing isn't considered a problem to solve it should not be a surprise that no progress has been made. There used to be progress in life expectancy but that was really about infant and early childhood mortality. Most children born now reach their natural lifespan. Until we actually put resources into extending lifespan it won't improve significantly.