How to live to 200 years old?

The world's oldest person was Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122 years old, dying in 1997. There is much debate about whether humanity will ever surpass this age, and many hope that scientific advances will make this seemingly impossible dream a reality.

Experts have used a variety of methods, from cell technology to animal studies, to find ways to increase life expectancy.

Dr. Andrew Steele, a British biologist, believes that withmethod of eliminating the main factor causing muscle tissue breakdown, sickle cells, humans can live up to 200 years old.

Sickle cells are harmful to the body because they release proteins that affect surrounding tissues, causing chronic inflammation. Experts believe that young people with healthy immune systems are better at clearing sickle cells. However, as people age, they accumulate in the body and cause underlying diseases that accelerate aging, such as osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Alzheimer's.

Drugs that help flush these cells out of the body are already being tested in humans and could be on the market within the next 10 years, according to Dr. Steele.

Mr Steele also said that if you put a human cell under a microscope, it will divide about 50 times before stopping. Meanwhile, in Galapagos tortoises (120 years old), cells divide more than 100 times. This brings scientists to another area of ​​interest, which isStudying the DNA of reptiles and cold-blooded animals like crocodiles, salamanders and turtles to improve human longevity.

Researchers at the University of Michigan made a breakthrough in 2016 when they discovered how to eliminate diseased cells in mice. They injected lab mice with a synthetic drug called AP20187, successfully extending their lifespan by 35%. This set the stage for a series of studies confirming the importance of similar cells in the aging process.

Elderly people exercise with wooden dumbbells at a temple in Tokyo, Japan. Photo:AFP

Other experts say thatKills major pathogens such as cancer, dementia and cardiovascular diseaseis the key to longevity. Dr. Peter Fedichev, a Russian molecular physicist, believes that humans can naturally live to 150 years old if they do not suffer from chronic diseases.

He and colleagues studied the genetic data of 500,000 Britons in pursuit of the goal of "stopping ageing" by reversing disease.

They used a mathematical model called DOSI (Death Activity Status Indicator), which takes into account age, disease, and lifestyle factors to determine how well the body can recover from injury. The model suggests that the maximum human lifespan is 120 to 150, without the help of drugs and gene therapy.

The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications last year. However, Dr Fedichev warned that extending lifespan without improving quality of life would be pointless, as older people are extremely frail and vulnerable to disease.

"Only by addressing the root causes of aging can we bring humans closer to the dream of increasing life expectancy to 100 years or more. This is why we call on experts to focus their attention on the disease aspect of aging," he said.

A 2019 study in the journal Aging Cell found that older mice treated with Navitoclax, an experimental anti-cancer drug that kills senescent cells, recovered from heart attacks at the same rate as younger mice.

Another study, published in the journal EMBO, demonstrated that removing senescent cells from mouse hearts also reduced symptoms of aging, enlargement and thickening of the heart muscle's septum.

"In many years, humans will be able to control the biological mechanisms of aging. Technologies will restore functions lost in old age, enhancing the body's inherent capabilities. This development is similar to cars, mobile phones, the internet and robots," said Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov, an expert in biotechnology and physics.