Is it possible to live -at least- up to 150?

It has been 24 years since 1997, when France Jean Kalman died in a nursing home in Arles, in the South of France. Born in 1875, he lived a proven life 122 years, five months and 14 days and was the longest living man in history.

Scientists have since theorized that if even one person reached the age of 122, that means our body has the genetic predisposition to reach (at least) 150 years – maybe 200, but that is a crazier scenario.

Many researchers, however, believe that the first man to live to 140 years has already been born, lives among us and does not even know that in several decades from now he will take the title of Kalman. After all, the life expectancy has already doubled in the last 150 years.

And the average life expectancy has grown by 40 years and from the 40 years it was at Industrial Revolution at the end of the 19th century, it is now somewhere between 75-80 years old, mainly through dramatic improvements in hygiene conditions.

In addition, the last twenty years have been revealed at least 10 gene mutations which increase the life of mice by almost half. All of this may well apply to humans in the future.

There are also bad news, of course: for 100 years, the quality of our diet has deteriorated, environmental pollution has increased dramatically, exercise has almost been cut short, and stress and socio-economic stress has increased.

Combined with the fact that 80% of deaths today are due to all of the above factors, means that if we manage and control the pollution of the environment and pay attention to our way of life and diet, then we can significantly improve our health and dramatically increase our life expectancy.

Of course, as scientists report, the old age they can not be completely abolished, so all that can be done is to delay. According to laboratory experiments and calculations based on the maximum lifespan of individual cells of the human body, the limit for the maximum lifespan of the human, with current data, is set somewhere between 140-170 years, while in very special and rare cases it can be up to 200. Many scientists around the world now strongly argue that 140 years of life is a very achievable goal.

Life expectancy also depends on where we live

Of course, the locality of each one also plays a role in the expectation. For example, the rich countries have the higher life expectancy.

People in Japan are estimated to live more than 85 years. When measurements and recordings began in 1963, at Japan, only 153 centenarians were recorded, while in the 2018 census, about 70,000 centenarians were counted.

In addition, its inhabitants Okinawa, of Japan’s fifth largest island, live more than anywhere else in the world (even from Ikaria). Their secret to longevity is probably due to diets that are low in fat and salt and their particular preference for vegetables and fish. Respectively, the countries that have the lower life expectancy all belong to Africa, although Africa’s average life expectancy has increased significantly since 1925.

The general conclusion is that with the help of medicine and its discoveries but also the improvements in the field of medical care, more and more people will have a longer life expectancy.

In this direction, the The New York Times published a hyper-detailed table with all innovations set in the long run from 5 to 50 years they could help us to exceed 150 years of life and to “hit” with claims two hundred (years).

The possible medical discoveries in 5 years

between the short term medical benefits include dietary supplements to extend life expectancy, a revolutionary new drug, the semaglutide, which helps in weight loss and the fight against obesity and the introduction of the use of the face mask that could lead to a reduction in deaths from the flu.

It is also in the works microproteins such as MOTS-c, which enhances fitness, prevents obesity and increases life expectancy in mice, is tested in humans and could be approved within 4-5 years. In his issue cancer, There are more and more new ways of over-improving our immune system but also new combinations of existing therapies, while in the subject of Alzheimer’s are preparing to get approval for some devices that will stimulate the brain using specific frequencies of light and sound.

Possible medical discoveries in 5-10 years

A bill that is being prepared for passage in the US Congress will obligatorily impose the drunk driver detection technology to all new cars that will be sold in the future in the US, preventing (US only) 10,000 deaths per year. Innovations such as brain stimulation for reduce the desire for food as an effective method for the treatment of obesity, while by 2030 the existence of “Exercise pill” that is, drugs that mimic the benefits of exercise and improve our physical condition.

There is also the metformin, a drug that helps millions of people manage type 2 diabetes and early studies show that it could be used in the future to treatment of aging. In his burning issue AIDS A new, “highly functional” treatment is being developed that suppresses the HIV-causing AIDS virus without the need for ongoing treatment. Also, the CDC (the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has set itself the goal of increasing 80% the percentage of Americans who are considered for colon cancer through special stool tests at home.

Possible medical discoveries in 10-20 years

By 2040, some specifics may be ready gene therapies that could allow us to modify the genes for the prevention and treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases and diabetes. Until then it is possible that we have dealt with it completely [ο ΠΟΥ κάνει λόγο για 95%] the tuberculosis, which killed over 1.4 million people in 2019, mostly in Third World.

Within the 2030s, it is very likely that we will have a drug that could greatly prevent or slow down the progression of the disease Alzheimer’s, while respectively new clinical trials are being prepared in mRNA vaccines, which could have much better results in dealing with it malaria.

Also, a laboratory is prepared new class of drugs which will be able to neutralize the “aging” cells of our body by slowing down cell decline. Respectively, there is the rapamycin, an antifungal drug that has already been approved and has extended the life of mice by 33%.

Possible medical discoveries in 20-50 years

At a depth of 50 years, the use could be established self-propelled cars worldwide could reduce road accident deaths by approx 600.000 lives over a decade. Respectively, the complete transition to electric vehicles [τουλάχιστον στις ΗΠΑ] over the next 30 years, it could improve air quality and save thousands of lives each year. The goal of the medical community is also by 2050 to have completely eliminated it malaria through more access to rapid tests and new treatments with artemisinin, preventing over 400,000 deaths annually.

Possible medical discoveries in 50-100 years

Finally, in scenarios that belong (still) to the realm of science fiction, robotics aims to create robot surgeons that they could remove tumors with admirable accuracy, reducing deaths from medical errors. Another goal is the so-called cellular reprogramming, ie the activation of some specific genes which will be able to rejuvenate our cells. And finally, we may have it by the end of the century ours, personal clinic inside our house. Artificial Intelligence will be able to create one within the next half century customized medical center in our living room, which will include a saliva and urine test, as well as a home medical device that will design and produce the medicines that each of us needs.

But, we said, this belongs to the realm of sci-fi (still)…