Longevity: 150-Year-Old Humans!

The world is changing – with more people living longer and falling birth rates. That trend has triggered a new dawn of longevity science, which aims to enable more of us to live healthier, for longer. The Middle East is investing heavily in the science of longevity that could make reaching 90 years of age an expected part of lifespan.

If current trends continue, those aged over 50 in the GCC will comprise 18.5 per cent of the population by 2025, up from 14.2 per cent in 2020. Limited availability of specialised treatment centres, insufficient local specialist health practitioners and over-reliance on expatriate labour could lead to a growing burden on Middle East healthcare systems.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

The World Health Organisation is predicting the number of people living beyond 60 will double by 2050, and triple by 2100. Rapid developments in stem cells suggest humanity is fully capable of surviving and even working well beyond present expectations, with 150 years old becoming the norm by the end of the century

Some may be fortunate to enjoy good health and mobility well into their 80s. But the majority will already have experienced physical and cognitive decline. Lifestyle choices play a significant role. Researchers believe an ability to capture a cellular state known as senescence – where damaged cells resist removal causing inflammation – could provide the answer to slowing down natural ageing. When inflammation becomes chronic, it can negatively affect the body, damaging tissue and impairing healing, while accelerating ageing and neurodegenerative disease. Ozone therapy is another alternative medicine treatment that projects ozone gas into the body to treat various conditions and reduce inflammation. By improving oxygenation and reducing oxidative stress, ozone therapy is believed to have potential anti-ageing effects.

Lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, stress management, and avoiding exposure to toxins play a significant part in modulating inflammation. Anti-inflammatory diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids, regular physical activity and adequate sleep can all cut the risk of chronic inflammation and the rate of ageing.

The UAE is positioning itself at the regional forefront of longevity and anti-ageing preventive care. Alongside an anti-obesity drive to stem spiralling rates of overweight people, specialist centres are opening to focus on healthy ageing. They include the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP) and Deep Knowledge Analytics (DKA) joint venture in mapping the UAE’s longevity industry.

Since 2019, the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre’s (ADSCC), ongoing research has examined tissue regeneration and rejuvenation of ageing cells for its potential to increase longevity. In Masdar City, a biocomputing innovation research laboratory – a partnership between Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and AI modellers BioMap is focusing on age-related illnesses.

According to the Office of National Statistics in Britain, a third of babies born in 2013 are predicted to reach the age of 100, while the US Census Bureau predicts the number of people aged over 85 will triple by 2060. With the advances in healthcare, living to be 120 years old has now become an imaginable prospect.

Rapid developments in stem cells suggest humanity is fully capable of surviving and even working well beyond present expectations, with 150 years old becoming the norm by the end of the century. That has ramifications on work, health, education and societal behaviour. Older, but healthier people could continue to contribute to society. Retirement age could now be set at 100. Our Tun M is an example of working at 98!

Reference:

Longevity: how science is pushing the boundaries for the first 150-year-old human, Nick Webster, The National News, 16 March 2024