Life Extension: Possibilities in Extending Human Lifespan

Extending Lifespan
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On a global scale, humans are living longer than they ever have before, thanks to the last century’s stunning scientific, medical, and technological progress. In 1900, the average life expectancy of a newborn was only 32 years; in 2021, that number had increased to 71 years.

There are plenty of reasons to believe that this trend will continue. While we haven’t yet discovered the coveted “cure for aging,” the field of anti-aging research is making some enormous and very exciting strides toward extending human life even further.

In this post, we’ll highlight the most promising developments in anti-aging news and longevity science, focusing on what is likely to be the most effective interventions promoting health and longevity.

What Possibilities Exist for Extending Lifespan?

How can we live longer, you ask? Here are some of the longevity research field’s most impressive possibilities for slowing aging:

Genetic Manipulation

Recent research from the University of East Anglia and Uppsala University has found that genetic manipulation could potentially double our lifespans. Certain genes are believed to contribute to or even cause aging—as the lead researcher for this study, Dr. Alexei Maklakov, described it: “An emerging new theory is that the genes that age us are programmed to make us grow and reproduce in early life, but when their function ‘runs-on’ unabated in later life it starts causing problems.”

They tested this hypothesis in earthworms by turning off a certain gene that they believed to cause aging. The results were staggering: the worms not only lived more than twice as long, but their offspring were also healthier. If we could eventually apply this anti-aging science to humans, the implications for lifespan extension are mind-boggling.

Rapamycin and Anti-Aging

Rapamycin is a potential longevity drug that’s generated lots of interest among life extension researchers. It is an immunosuppressant drug that was approved by the FDA for use in transplant patients in 1999. Beginning in the mid-2000s, however, scientists began to notice that it might also have benefits for slowing aging.

Although rapamycin has been found to increase life expectancy in animals like fruit flies and mice, more research is needed before medical professionals begin to advise that humans take the drug for life extension purposes.

Metformin and Longevity

In addition to being the most widely prescribed drug for type 2 diabetes, Metformin is another leading option among longevity drugs. It is a safe and affordable medication that is believed to slow aging at the cellular, chromosomal, and molecular levels, reducing the likelihood of developing age-related conditions like cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer, and diabetes.

Many studies have demonstrated that metformin has these anti-aging benefits. Those who take the drug for diabetes live longer and are healthier than both diabetic and non-diabetic people who don’t take metformin.

From Disease-Focused Medicine to Targeting the Root Causes of Age-Related Illness

Rather than focusing on treating the symptoms of illnesses when they arise, as medicine has traditionally done, longevity medicine takes a different approach by attempting to target the root causes of age-related illnesses. This has arisen in response to increased demand for preventive anti-aging medicine—many consumers are highly concerned with extending their lifespans and seeking out measures to improve their health before developing any health conditions (as opposed to doing so reactively, following a diagnosis).

Advanced Gut Microbiome Diagnostics and Treatment

The gut microbiome contains trillions of microorganisms that not only help you to digest your food, but also regulate your immune system, protect your body from pathogens, support your body’s production of essential neurotransmitters (such as serotonin) and hormones (like estrogen), and much more. Life sciences companies like Viome offer advanced gut microbiome diagnostics: detailed tests that break down the state of your microbiome and allow for targeted recommendations of supplements, probiotics, and food choices to improve your gut health.

Debunking the Myth of Telomeres

For many years, scientists believed that long telomeres were the key to life extension. Telomeres are caps on the ends of chromosomes that shorten each time a cell divides; when a cell’s telomeres get short enough, the cell dies. Because scientists found that those with premature aging syndromes have short telomeres, they conflated correlation with causation, inferring that having longer telomeres would cause you to live longer.

However, as described in this New York Times piece, a 2023 study of telomeres disproved this hypothesis. The study showed that, like short telomeres, long telomeres are associated with health problems of their own. Rather than increasing lifespan, researchers found that long telomeres may cause cancer and are associated with a blood disorder called CHIP (which increases the risk of blood cancers and heart disease). Although manipulating telomeres has been credited with promising anti-aging properties for about two decades, the truth is that the science of aging is incredibly complex—it can’t be reduced to a metric like telomere length.

How to Investigate Your Life Expectancy

Someday, longevity medicine researchers might finally discover how to stop aging and unlock immortality. Until then, however, we’ll have to do our best to make wise diet and lifestyle choices that improve our health and life expectancy.

To find out where your life expectancy currently falls, give our Life Expectancy Calculator a try. You’ll receive a precise estimate that’s based on the latest developments in the science of aging.

Are you interested in learning more about life expectancy and the numerous variables that affect it? Check out our Life Lessons section for regular updates on the field.

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