Research reveals interesting facts about maximum human lifespan

Although human life expectancy is still increasing, it does not mean there is no limit. Experts say that people living over 115 years old are still rare.

New York resident Helen Reichert died at the age of 109, still enjoying her Budweiser beer and even planning to return to her youthful habit.

Ms. Reichert's younger brother, Mr. Irving Khan - who holds the record for being the oldest investor on Wall Street (USA) - also passed away at the same age as his sister.

This is the age range of death for a group of “supercentenarians,” who typically live to be between 110 and 115. Most notably, Jeanne Calment , a French woman, is believed to be the only person to have lived to the age of 122, passing the 120-year mark in 1997.

To better understand the 'maximum age' of humans and to confirm whether humanity has reached its maximum lifespan, a team of mathematicians embarked on a study with the belief that the highest lifespan among the group of "supercentenarians " could be even higher.

In a recent publication in the journal PLOS One, David McCarthy, a professor of risk management at the University of Georgia, hypothesized that humans, especially women, could live beyond 122 years in the coming decades.

According to Professor McCarthy's mathematical analysis models, women born in 1940 in Japan could reach a maximum age of 125 to 130 years old, while those born in the US could reach a maximum age of around 120 to 125.

Mr McCarthy stressed that the combined evidence from mathematical models - built by the research team - shows that the maximum human lifespan is increasing, indicating that the biological limits of the human species are not fixed but are expanding.

Given stable conditions, some people could surpass current longevity records, while emphasizing that maximum longevity is still trending upward.

Although human life expectancy is increasing, it is not without limits. Experts say that people who live to be over 115 are still rare.

In the United States, the average life expectancy is around 76 years, as younger Americans seem to be dying earlier. However, research shows that people who pass 75 often show resilience and longevity.

Recent trends show that the number of people reaching their 70s, 80s and 90s is increasing compared to previous generations.

Brandon Milholland, a former postdoctoral fellow at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine who co-authored a 2016 paper in the journal Nature, asserted that the human lifespan limit has barely changed since the 1990s, with the average maximum age hovering around 115.

Mr. Milholland also does not rule out the possibility that at some point in the future, with scientific advances allowing humans to reduce their biological age as their life expectancy increases (understood as being older but not weaker).

The challenge, however, lies in addressing the root causes of aging rather than just treating its symptoms, says Milholland.

In fact, experts are working on drugs to extend human lifespan. Researchers are exploring the potential of affordable drugs to extend human lifespan while ensuring biological health.

At the same time, advances in understanding the mechanisms that cause degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease may help identify genetic predispositions and factors that may influence timing of death.

However, the reality that researchers agree on is that there is hardly a general formula to achieve the goal of superior aging control.

Rather, an individual's lifespan is influenced by a myriad of complex and mysterious factors, including genetics, lifestyle, environmental influences, and other factors.

Northwestern professor Emily Rogalski, a cognitive neuroscientist who studies the brains of older adults, points out that there is no universal formula that can be applied to all individuals to increase longevity while still curbing aging because the factors that determine longevity are diverse and individualized, reflecting the unique interaction of diverse factors in each person's life.