Difficulties in Increasing Life Expectancy | 15 Oct 2024

Source: IE

A new study titled "Implausibility of Radical Life Extension in Humans in the Twenty-First Century" reveals that the steady rise in life expectancy driven by medical and technological advancements is now slowing down.

About the study:
- Researchers examined life expectancy at birth data from 1990 to 2019, focusing on regions with the highest life expectancy, such as Australia, France, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Key Findings:
- The study suggests that the life expectancy in the longest-living regions increased by only 6.5 years between 1990 and 2019.
  - There is a need for groundbreaking new medicines that can slow the ageing process, rather than simply enhancing treatments for widespread fatal conditions like heart attacks and cancer.
- Current estimates indicate that girls have a 5.3% chance, and boys have a 1.8% chance, of reaching 100 years of age in those regions.
  - However, even if common diseases are eradicated, the decline of organs due to ageing continues to limit significant lifespan extension.
- Several drugs are being tested to extend lifespan, including metformin, a low-cost diabetes drug, which has been shown to slow ageing in male monkeys.