Human Longevity – Searching for the fountain of youth

Since the dawn of time, man has contemplated ways to live forever. While this goal remains science fiction, major healthcare and technology breakthroughs have resulted in extended human longevity.

Major healthcare and technology breakthroughs have resulted in extended human longevity. People live longer today than ever, and reports indicate that the trend will continue into the foreseeable future. Here's everything you need to know about how new advancements extend human longevity.

Statistics Don’t Lie

Several studies examining extending life expectancies have provided some interesting results. For example, a report from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and coordinated by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) revealed that the average life expectancy of a female in the US will increase from 73.6 years in 2022 to 78.1 years by 2050. This report revealed a longer life expectancy of +0-27 years between 1990 and 2019 as well.

The data revealed that the biggest increase in life expectancy will come from the countries with the lowest longevity currently. These nations will quickly gain access to healthcare and other services that will make this transformation a possibility according to researchers. This discovery was in stark contrast to what many analysts believed the scenario would be, superpowers experiencing the largest life expectancy increases.

How Will People Live Longer?

There are some interesting ways in which your life expectancy may increase in the future. Researchers continue to delve into various methods and sciences to ward off the effects of old age and extend youth and health. Here are a few interesting studies that should help you understand that the race for human longevity has many paths.

Anti-Aging Drugs to Drive Human Longevity

The idea of an age-defying elixir has been a concept since ancient civilizations. There are moments in history when dignitaries and others attempted some crazy ways to stop the effects of time. For example, cinnabar (mercuric sulfide) was commonly used in makeup products in ancient cultures, resulting in disease and death.

Thankfully, science may be closer to finding the true anti-aging serum. A study, published in the journal Fly, delves into the use of Mifepristone and Rapamycin to extend life expectancy. The researchers used fruit flies as the subjects, which they monitored using a noninvasive method.

The engineers noticed that both Mifepristone and Rapamycin slightly extended the fly's life expectancy by enhancing the cell's ability to fight off mitophagy, restoring your cell's mitochondrial health. Humans naturally lose this capability as they age.

The results of the study suggested both drugs slightly improved this capability. However, when used together, they didn't improve results, leading researchers to conclude they work similarly. Notably the test was conducted at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and funded by the National Institute on Aging grant R01AG057741.

Now engineers seek to get approval for further testing of the drugs on humans. Thankfully,  these drugs are both used for other purposes currently,  making it easier to get them approved as anti-aging drugs if the benefits are clinically proven.

Cardio Fitness Boosts Human Longevity

It may not be a huge surprise to learn that there is a strong connection between your cardiovascular health and your life expectancy for most people. However, according to a new report published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), this connection is far greater than once thought. A team of researchers examined +20.9 million observations from 199 unique research groups, seeking out the correlation.

The researchers discovered that the better your body is at supplying oxygen during intense activities, the longer you are likely to live. It also showed that you're less likely to develop diseases when you consistently enhance your blood flow by working out and staying active. This data demonstrates how high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness may be one of the best ways to ward off diseases like type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancers, stroke, and depression.

Microbiome Optimization Can Improve Human Longevity.

Another report found that your gut microbiome is a crucial component that could dictate how long you live. Your microbiome is home to billions of microorganisms that all play a part in your health, digestion, and bodily functions. This critical component of your anatomy dictates your nutrition absorption, immune system health, hormone levels, metabolism, and much more.

Researchers have discovered that those with healthier gut microbiomes enjoy a reduced risk of various chronic diseases. As such, enhancing your microbiome can help you live longer and healthier. To improve your microbiome, you don’t need anything special. A healthy diet, which includes pro and prebiotics, can make a difference.

Water-Bear May be the Key

Nature is full of creatures that seem to ward off aging or sickness through unimaginably harsh conditions. In the past, engineers have looked towards jellyfish, lobsters, tortoises, and other animals to reveal some of their longevity secrets. A recent study shrinks the subjects to a microscopic level in search of results.

The tardigrade, or water bear, is a tiny arthropod that can survive in some insane conditions. For example, these