In the early 20th century, people in the United States were expected to live to age 47. Today, thanks to medical advances such as vaccines and antibiotics, and public health efforts, the average life expectancy in the United States has increased to 77 years and to 73 years worldwide.
Although health status and systemic barriers such as socio-economic inequalities and environmental conditions influence longevity, researchers are increasingly trying to address the mechanisms behind aging through individual lifestyle modifications and precision medicine. We are discovering that it is possible to fight back and help people live even longer. Be healthier.
“Healthy Geriatrics is no longer science fiction,” said Dr. Andrea Meyer, professor of medicine and functional aging at the National University of Singapore and founding president of the Healthy Geriatrics Society. luck At the Longevity Investor Conference in Gstaad, Switzerland last month. “We understand why we age. We understand how to intervene, especially through life interventions.”
The idea that it’s up to humans to decide how long we age is that we’re willing to experiment with the latest interventions to optimize health, so we’re confident we’ll live to 150 and even beyond. This has led to a proliferation of biohackers and longevity optimists. Kayla Burns, CEO of LA-based longevity clinic LYV Wellness, previously said: luck She hopes to live a healthy 150 years with her husband. At the same time, entrepreneur-turned-biohacker Brian Johnson doesn’t have a target age, but he preaches the motto “don’t die” for as long as possible.
But how long will it last? Really Is it possible to live according to available science?
How long can we live?
Dr. Evelyn Bischoff, an internist, oncologist, and vice president of Healthy magazine, says people under 50 who take the longest to take advantage of new research, treatments, and interventions will likely live to be 100. It is said that this can be expected. Geriatrics Association.
Alina Hsu, a geriatric researcher at the Conboy Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, and a biomedical doctoral candidate at Harvard University, is even more hopeful.
“Living well beyond 100 years old, and even beyond 120 years old, is more than just a dream. For those who are serious about optimizing their health, it can become a reality. ,” says Hsu, co-founder of precision medicine company Generation Labs. “Innovations in anti-aging research are advancing rapidly, with new treatments, gene editing, and personalized medicine emerging that push the limits of human lifespan.”
Dr. Nir Barzilai, one of the world’s leading geneticists and director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says: luck He said that while it is not possible to predict a society’s potential longevity, the longest human lifespan today is about 115 years (a woman thought to be the world’s oldest person died in 1997 at age 122). Ta). Barzilai says how long we live will depend on the effectiveness of evolving aging research that emerges in the coming decades.
“Aging causes age-related diseases. Therefore, people want to stop aging, so instead of spending time treating diseases, we want to spend time treating health. ,” says Barzilai, who also holds the title of director of the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR). ) and investigators of the AFAR SuperAgers Family Study. “We know that we can target aging…it depends on how quickly funding can accelerate aging.” He said educating the public about interventions can make a big difference in meaningfully extending lifespans. Bring and emphasize.
Barzilai believes that living past 100 today is a combination of precision medicine, AI interventions, and geriatric therapy, while following basic guidelines on exercise, nutrition, and stress management. The key is to look to the next frontier. or drugs that target the underlying processes of aging.
Still, Barzilai, Bischoff, and Meyer, who work to set standards in the field of longevity medicine, say it’s less about how long you live and more about how well you live.
“The question is: Will they live to be 100 years old in good health, or will their functioning typically be significantly reduced in the last 20 percent?” said Bischoff, who also spoke at the Longevity Investor Conference. Closing the gap between healthy life expectancy and life expectancy is the most urgent need, she added.
What optimizes health
People who significantly extend their lifespans and narrow the gap between healthy and lifespans will treat their bodies like “extreme sports,” Meyer said. “I really don’t think you should treat your body as a snapshot, but you can’t write a story or a story without more words, which means you need to continually test your body,” she says. , promoting a growing field. Precision gelomedicine (treatments that tackle aging according to an individual’s biomarkers and genetic makeup) requires testing and tracking to influence habits. The most common types of tracking include wearing blood sugar monitors, sleep trackers, and activity monitors.
For now, only those who have the time and financial wherewithal to pay for additional tests, wearables, and subscription-based longevity clinics out of pocket can participate in the life-extending boom.
“For people under 50 today, the key is how much they want to invest in their health now. The more proactive an individual is, the more years they can add to their lives. It’s more sexual,” Sue says. “Essentially, we are entering an era in which individual health choices can have dramatically different outcomes. The decision to optimize health today will be a It can mean the difference between an extended and vibrant life.
Dr. Matthew Pywell, founder of Apex Medical AcademyThe organization, which educates medical professionals about preventive care and healthy aging, says it knows that as a species it is possible to reach the 120 standard, but the question is whether the general population is living longer than just 1%. The question is how the intervention is delivered.
Those on the front lines of longevity equity aim to bring healthy aging innovations into health systems and meet people where they are, but ensure that longevity care does not exacerbate existing inequalities. It is clear that there is a long way to go.
“There are a lot of private clinics. We now understand that we need to educate not only doctors but all other health professionals. We are educating the layperson and using this new model of medicine in practice. needs to be introduced into clinical care to truly change the trajectory of health. [of more people]” says Meyer.
Learn more about healthy aging below.
