There are many signs indicating that humanity’s dream of extending lifespan may soon hit an insurmountable limit.
According to a recent study published in the journal Nature Aging, while human lifespan continues to increase in developed countries, the rate of this increase is slowing down, suggesting that we may be approaching a “biological limit.”
This indicates that humanity should shift its focus away from the dream of immortality. Instead, the major goal of medicine in the near future should be “anti-aging.”
A team of scientists led by epidemiologist S. Jay Olshansky from the University of Illinois Chicago (USA) analyzed demographic data from 1990 to 2019 collected from Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, South Korea, Japan, Italy, France, Australia, the USA, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
Humans may soon reach a limit on age, regardless of medical advancements – (Illustration AI: Anh Thư).
The study utilized population survival statistics to assess lifespan trends and evaluate the potential for significant longevity extension in long-lived populations.
In this context, “radical lifespan extension” is defined as an annual increase in lifespan of up to 0.3 years.
The results indicate that only South Korea and Hong Kong have achieved this level of radical lifespan extension. However, this trend has recently begun to decline significantly.
In Hong Kong, this increase was only observed in the early 1990s, correlating with significant tobacco control efforts and economic prosperity in the region.
In all other countries included in the study, improvements in lifespan began to slow down since the late 20th century, contrasting with the rapid improvement trend observed in the early part of that century.
These findings contradict the hopes of many previous scientists who believed that the trend of extending human lifespan would be limitless.
In the new study, the authors argue that humans will inevitably reach a certain “biological limit,” regardless of medical advancements.
And this is where we may see that limit. Average lifespan may continue to improve, but not by much anymore.
“We should now shift our focus to efforts aimed at slowing down the aging process and extending healthy lifespan,” Dr. Olshansky stated.
According to him, the natural lifespan of humans—without medical advancements—has actually been overlooked, as it lies somewhere between 30 to 60 years.
Thanks to numerous efforts, today, the number of people living to an advanced age continues to grow. However, despite the increasing pace of medical progress, the biological limit has meant that it can only yield minor improvements.
