Most Reject Idea of 120-Year Life Span

August 7, 2013

News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Most Reject Idea of 120-Year Life Span

Would you want to live to 120? Most Americans say no, according to a new poll. The Pew Research Center did the survey. About 2,000 adults were interviewed. The group was balanced to reflect the U.S. population. People were asked if they would want a treatment that let them live to age 120. About 56% said no. But 65% thought that most people would want such a treatment. So what's the ideal life span? Ninety was the median age chosen by poll respondents. Just over half thought living to 120 would be bad for society. They thought it might strain natural resources. Some also said the treatment most likely would be available only to the rich. The average life expectancy of a baby born in the United States today is 78.7. It's about 81 years for a girl, 76.2 for a boy. Research has found ways to extend the life span for some lab animals. These include reducing calories by 25% or altering specific genes. Scientists have found some genes in common for many humans who live to 100. But this knowledge has not yet been turned into a treatment. The Associated Press wrote about the study August 7.

By Howard LeWine, M.D.
Harvard Medical School

What Is the Doctor's Reaction?

Not that long ago, celebrating an 80^th birthday was an uncommon event. I remember watching the 1950s TV show You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx. On one of his shows, Groucho had an 81-year-old male contestant. The man received resounding applause just for being alive.

Fast forward to today. Almost 60 years later, 80 years or more is now the average life expectancy in many developed countries. The United States is not one of those countries. At 78.7 years, the U.S. ranks 53^rd in the world.

More people than ever are living beyond age 100. The 2010 U.S. census found at least 53,364 centenarians still alive.  That was a 53% increase from the 1990 figure of 37,306.

Now that age 100 is not so rare, you might wonder: Is there a limit to how long a human can live? The figure most often advanced for humans is 120 years. That's quite close to the span of one well-documented contender for the title of longest-lived person. A French woman reportedly was 122 years old when she died in 1997.

Even if life could be extended to age 120, would we want to live that long? The Pew Research Center posed this question as part of a survey of 2,012 adults earlier this year.

More than half said they would not take a treatment to extend life that long. But more than 65% thought other people would want it.

This survey did not ask why most adults would not want life-extending treatment. But previous surveys show these to be the greatest fears about getting too old:

• Losing independence
• Running out of money
• Being unable to manage your own activities of daily living
• Not being able to live at home
• Having constant pain
• Relying on others to care for you
• Feeling isolated or lonely
• Fear of falling or hurting yourself

It's no surprise to see this long list of fears. All of us have seen these realities in older family members and friends. Without these fears, the Pew survey would have had very different results. I suspect many more people would have said they would want a treatment to potentially live to age 120.

What Changes Can I Make Now?

Here is what you can do to live longer. More importantly, these steps can help you to feel healthier and more vigorous during those later years:

• Avoid tobacco. If you are a smoker, it is never too late to quit. Your body reaps health benefits from the day you stop.
• Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially the brightly colored ones. They are loaded with carotenoids. Some studies have linked higher blood levels of carotenoids with longer life spans.
• Make sure you get the nutrients you need. With a balanced diet and 10 to 15 minutes of daily sunshine (for the vitamin D), you should be able to get all you need. For pennies a day, a generic multiple vitamin can add some insurance.
• Stay physically active. Schedule time every day for at least 30 minutes of dedicated exercise.
• Don't overeat, and keep your body weight in check.
• Socialize. Maintain contacts with family and friends throughout your life.
• Think positive. Most centenarians have a positive attitude and easily shed stress.
• Challenge your mind.
• Get routine screening exams and vaccinations.
• Don't overuse alcohol. While a drink per day may actually help your health, clearly more is not better in this case.

What Can I Expect Looking to the Future?

Some scientists think it is shortsighted to say humans can live only 120 years. They question the belief that our life span is limited and aging can't be prevented.  

It may seem crazy, but some animals do not seem to age. For example, some cold-water ocean fish, some amphibians and the American lobster never reach a fixed size. They continue to grow bigger and live until they are injured, get eaten by a predator or develop a disease that kills them.

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