A new study has shed light on how long humans could potentially live with modern technology, and what the limits are. Heart disease, strokes, and respiratory diseases are the most common causes of death worldwide, often triggered by other illnesses, stress, poor lifestyle choices, or genetics. While some people live a very healthy life and reach an age of over 100 years, the oldest person ever recorded was Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in 2017 at the age of 122. However, a new study published in the journal Nature Communications suggests that this is not the limit of the human body. The study explored how long people could live without diseases and other life-shortening factors. According to the study, a person can potentially live up to 150 years old before the regenerative functions of the body stop working optimally.
The study used several statistics to establish a dynamic indicator to determine when the theoretical life limit would occur with a constant aging process. It was found that physical decline begins particularly between the ages of 35 and 40. Although this decline weakens the body gradually, a person can theoretically still live up to 150 years old. Diseases that attack and infiltrate the weakened body are the main cause of death before the theoretical maximum lifespan. However, stress can also cause a person to die earlier. While new treatment options can help a person live longer, there seems to be a natural limit that cannot be exceeded.
The study is just the first step in exploring human age limits. The next step for researchers is to find a way to interrupt or at least slow down natural aging. There have already been some advances in this area, with researchers recently publishing a study in the online database PMC that examined the drug Metformin. Originally developed for diabetics, it seems to have properties for reducing aging. Overall, most scientists aim not for the longest possible life, but for the longest possible healthy life.
