Death is inevitable. But the journey coming there is away from universal.
The average lifetime at birth worldwide is now around 73 years But vary widely between countries and even between single states in the United States. I, and presumably many readers, know some people who have barely lost a step as they grow old, as well as people who have declined sharply as they entered their golden years. These realities invite the question: How can we significantly slow down our biological clock? And will we approach a source of youth soon?
The not so centennial man
There are some good and bad news.
First, the bad news. There is probably a difficult limit to our length. Study last year Found This, during a lifetime has continued to grow almost everywhere since the turn of the 20th century, the rate of growth has substantially deepened in the United States and other high income countries over the past 30 years. Only about 3% of women and 1% of men in the United States today even expect 100. This and other research suggests that radical lifespan is outside the table, at least for the foreseeable future.
However, not all hope is lost. Many researchers in the aging field have begun to summon a new perspective. Rather than simply focusing on extending our lifetime, they argue, we also have to work to improve our healthy – the years of relatively good health, which we left in our watch. This is not a strict distinction. An investigation into the oldest known people has found that they are generally healthier than the average man throughout their lives. But there are also people who still die in their 70’s or 80’s while they experience few of the chronic health problems that usually plague their peers before.
The obvious ABCs of length
The good news is that there are several evident ways to accelerate or maintain our health as we grow old. Many of these should not be a surprise, such as physical activity. Any quantity and shape of exercise, whether it is juggling,, heavy liftingor Flexible trainingIt’s good for you, no matter your age.
“There is no question that regular exercise is associated with an improved lifetime and a healthy lifestyle,” Sanjai Sinha, an associate professor of clinical medicine at Mount Sinai’s healthcare system and a doctor at the health center at Hudson Yards, told Gizmodo. “There are data that links exercise to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.”
Diet also plays a pivotal role in slowing the clock. Many different diets have been linked to length and overall health, but the most consistent, according to Sinha, is the Mediterranean diet. This diet is encouraged to eat many vegetables, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, moderate consumption of fish and birds, and limited consumption of red and processed meats, refined sugars and saturated fats. 2023 Review of 40 Clinical Trials Found The Mediterranean diet exceeded six other diets while extending life among people with a higher cardiovascular risk.
There are also things that we can avoid or at least moderate our consumption to extend our lives. Smoking, heavy alcohol drinking (the data is more uncertain with light to moderate drinking), and sedentary behavior all were linked to a shorter life. That some unknown or unexpected health risks could equally empty our lifetime complicates the image even more. Study exactly this week Found A possible relationship between faster aging and frequent nightmares, for example.
Anti -aging dudes and discoveries
We still do not know about the biology of aging, and we know even less when it comes to slowing it down therapeutically. Sure, you can browse online pharmacies and store shelves and notice dozens of supplements or other products that claim to have anti -aging effects, but after closer inspection, the data supporting these claims are generally nasty or very pre -speaking. Exactly this -month, NiH -scientists have failed to find evidence of that Aging is attached to declining levels of taurinsemi-essential amino acid commonly sold as a supplement, as opposed to earlier research.
“While they may have positive effects on some genes and proteins linked to aging, these supplements have not been proven in any projected human trials to extend a lifetime,” Sinha said. “I don’t think any of these products or substances stand out over the rest.”
This does not mean that there are no promising longevity drugs in the works. Last year, a nationwide study of 3,000 people over 65 started Testing of metformin-long used, essential diabetic medication-for length (the process is expected to end by 2030). Rapamicin, a drug used to prevent organ rejection, is also studied in trials for Anti -aging And Old related disorders. And longevity researchers such as Anthony Molina, a professor of medicine at the University of California, the San -Diego School of Medicine, hope we will find authentic successes among some of these tests early enough.
“Such clinical trials are possible through advances in the development of biological aging biological aging, which can be evaluated coordinating with functional/clinical results reporting on health -status through ages,” Molina, also the Scientific Director for the Stein Institute for Research on Aging and the Center for Healthy Aging, said. “I anticipate that over the next few years, we will separate what is actually working and what is not supported by data in humans.”
Scientists also continue to make new discoveries about the biological drivers of aging. Researchers at the San Antonio University San Antonio San Antonio San Antonio, which they stamped “immune resistance” – the ability of the immune system to defend infections and other true threats without causing too much unnecessary inflammation. In a study this -print, they Found That middle-aged people with the best immune resistance can have a 15-year survival advantage over those with the poorest.
“Inflammation is absolutely essential, but it must be in the right place, the right amount, the right kind, and the right duration,” senior study researcher Sunil Ahuja, professor of medicine at Ut Health San Antonio and director of the Veteran Affairs Center for a personified medicine with the South Texas veteran health care system, told Gizmodo.
Reasons for optimism
Widely recommended ways of life such as exercise and a healthy diet are associated with immune resistance, Ahuja notices. But he hopes that once, doctors can provide personality therapies that accelerate human resistance and also maintain their healthy aging. With enough detailed analysis of people’s genetics, metabolism, microbiomes and other native features, he argues that it will be possible to process the ideal health-extension diets or preventive medicines for an individual person, similar to the way doctors can now modify cancerous treatment based on the unique makeup of tumor.
We are not yet there, of course. But here is some added motivation to be hopeful: Optimism itself seems to help you live longer and healthier.
“People often ask me what would be a magical food, superfood. And I would say that actual superfood is your attitude, your mindset. There are people who look at life and their stresses positively.
No one lives forever. But there is a lot we can do to make our time here as pleasant and healthy. With some good luck, much more advice and tricks for length will appear in our life.
