I recently earned a couple of gerontology degrees and was amazed by the human lifespan and how short it seems. The question that seemed to plague me was the maximum human lifespan. How long can humans live, and what reasons do some live longer than others? The answers were simple based on statistical data.
The maximum human lifespan is about 120 years statistically (give or take a few). How can we extend this lifespan because the average american only lives somewhere between 77 and 82 years. The numbers have been increasing but consistently diet is the most prominent reason for shortening the human lifespan. A bad diet can cause development of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease/high blood pressure which are 3 of the leading causes of death in the study of american seniors.
Biologically the hayflick limit is another factor that genetically stops us from reaching our potential in life. For a simple explanation our cells divide and replicate from birth until we are senescent and ready for death. Sometimes they are the reason people die of old age.
Biologically the hayflick limit is another factor that genetically stops us from reaching our potential in life. For a simple explanation our cells divide and replicate from birth until we are senescent and ready for death. Sometimes they are the reason people die of old age.%
In my estimation research on the human diet, and the hayflick limit could possibly increase the human lifespan by a factor of 3 or 5 times the normal limit under the right conditions.
This is Derek Holbert again,
A simple diet of mostly vegetables with almost no meat or sugar could accomplish this goal statistically for most people. The reason is that the majority of centogenarians are actually vegetarians or they eat very little meat (and/or sugar). The body builder Jack La Lane would be a good example. His diet was vegetarian with no meat or sugar and he always exercised!
Some food researchers have also been examining how to create food that looks and tastes like fast food but has no fat/cholesterol/ or sugar. I am not sure if it is possible but many biological engineers and chemists have made some decent attempts. I would think this is a valid area of research.
One day I would like to put together another research team that would explore putting together a portable genetics lab that would increase the hayflick limit. The device would cause the hayflick limit to increase beyond their intended range. I believe these separate problems could really help extend the human lifespan.
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