Written by Adeola Olowu, M.D.
Are you ready for the future? Photo by Warren Umoh on Unsplash
Introduction
“Today we know that curing aging is possible; we also know that it will not be easy.” – José Cordeiro – 20231
The goal of Longevity Locus is to explain, discuss, and promote longevity in the decades to come. My hope is that Longevity Locus will inspire people to want to improve and extend their health.
What is longevity? Well, the definition of longevity is having a long life with a specific age in mind2. The information obtained from research articles were concerned about reaching ages between 110-150 years old.
What’s to Come.
The importance of learning about longevity cannot be stressed enough. We are on course as a society to “cure” aging via medicine and AI in the next 15 years3. Personally, I believe this will occur before the next 15 years (2040 A.D.) The better we take care of ourselves now before aging is “cured”, the better shape we will be, when living to 120-150 years old is a reality/a new norm.
There is a growing interest in longevity and healthy aging. Currently and for decades there have been academic institutes in longevity. Recently, academic institutes of aging have been created in the southern United States (US): Texas A&M4 and UTHealth5. Having aging institutes in the southern US is important because southern states in the US have their own culture including lifestyle which differs from different parts of the US. I believe that these institutions will ultimately lead to healthier older adults and increased healthy aging in adults.
Right now, there are numerous startups involved in promoting general longevity, verses addressing specific niches such as neurodegenerative conditions6 or reversing aging in certain organ systems such as the skin7. Then there are startups like the 2060 Foundation looking to cure aging while simultaneously creating a society where living healthier for longer is the norm8.
This blog post will cover what longevity is, how longevity is affected by both genetics & epigenetics, what aging is in scientific terms and the myth about longevity.
Understanding Longevity
Firstly, longevity refers to both lifespan (how long we live) and healthspan (how well we live). The science of longevity focuses on the following key words and definitions:
- Longevity: long life, a specific advanced age
- Life span: age at death
- Health span: the duration of health
The difference between lifespan and healthspan is lifespan describes how long someone lives while healthspan describes how long someone is healthy during their lifespan2.
Age groups are defined by the following descriptors:
- A senior citizen is someone who is an older adult who is 65 years old9.
- Superseniors are described as those who are 85 years old and older without cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, major pulmonary disease, and diabetes.
- Nonagenarians are in their 90s.
- Centenarians are in the age range of 100-104 years old,
- Semisupercentenarians are between the ages of 105-109;
- Supercentenarians are between 110-119 years old.
In longevity research, it was determined, the older the age group, the greater the delay in onset of major disease2.
The Science of Aging
Aging has many definitions. However, it is best described as a multifactorial condition where there are cellular and molecular changes leading to declining tissue function over time. The declining tissue function over time leads to frailty, disease susceptibility, and eventually death10. Aging has also been associated with disease processes such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease (CVD)11,12. The risk of developing metabolic disorders such as being overweight, obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus also increases with age11.
In the field of longevity, healthy aging is described as moderately aging without the presence of the disease processes and conditions mentioned above along with intact cognition and mobility2. Healthy aging can also be described as postponing the cellular and molecular dysfunction or lack of resilience to obtain the longest possible lifespan10.
It is important to understand aging in a healthy fashion has been associated with increased longevity10. Also, it has been discovered that those who live longer are healthier for a longer proportion of their lives2.
In the next 15 years (2040 A.D.), there will be a merging of biotechnology and generative AI with increased knowledge of social and behavioral sciences3. This combination of factors will lead to a leap in technological advancements including the realm of health3.
Aging and Chronic Conditions
As life expectancy increases, which is the goal of healthcare, chronic diseases increase as well10. The conditions longevity experts are working to resist with healthy aging, many of which we can deter with healthy aging:
- cancer
- osteoporosis
- stroke 2
- CVD, hypertension, heart failure 2,4
- major pulmonary conditions,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) 2,4
- mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/dementia 2,4
- and Autism spectrum disorder4
Many believe we can address the above chronic conditions by first addressing aging12. Based on the above conditions, some scientists believe that a practical human lifespan is 110-115 years2; however this notion was formed prior to the development of generative AI and recent research which describes the limit of lifespan as 150 yo based on complete blood count markers12.
The Myth About Longevity
Many people believe that aging is entirely genetic. This however, is not true.
There is no one single cause of aging10. It is important to remember that aging is caused by several factors. Yes, genetics is one of those factors however it is not the only factor.
Genetics account for 25% of heritability of longevity2. Epigenetics largely accounts for longevity2 making up the remaining 75%. What is epigenetics? Epigenetics are nongenetic factors that influence the interaction between one’s genetics and their environment. The factors that contribute to epigenetics are: lifestyle and environment2.
This is great news! Having epigenetics account for the majority of longevity allows us as individuals and a society to plan and act for a better healthspan and a better society.
Conclusion
Longevity and healthspan are current goals for healthcare and technology combined. Most research articles believe that lifespan can be between 110-150 years old along with a good healthspan.
Epigenetics which is the combination of lifestyle and environment account for the majority of longevity. This allows us to positively impact our lives individually because the benefits of a healthier life are innumerable. As a society, we will benefit from creating a “world” where living a healthy life is the priority and hopefully enjoyable.
Most importantly, I believe everyone should be knowledgeable about this topic so no one is left behind.
Questions
What age would you consider to be “old”? Does your perspective change knowing that living to 110-150 years might become a norm?
What’s the most surprising thing you learned about longevity from this post?
Do you know someone who is aging gracefully? What habits or lifestyle choices do you think contribute to their vitality?
Bibliography
1. Living Forever Quotes. Accessed February 23, 2025. https://liveforever.club/page/living-forever-quotes
2. Brooks-Wilson AR. Genetics of healthy aging and longevity. Hum Genet. 2013;132(12):1323-1338. doi:10.1007/s00439-013-1342-z
3. Office of the Director of National Intelligence – Global Trends. Accessed February 23, 2025. https://www.dni.gov/index.php/gt2040-home/gt2040-structural-forces/technology
4. Home. Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity. Accessed February 23, 2025. https://ctral.tamu.edu/
5. Institute On Aging. Accessed February 23, 2025. https://www.uth.edu/aging/
6. Neurodegenerative Diseases Research. Longevity Biotech. Accessed February 23, 2025. https://www.longevitybiotech.com/
7. Topical Products for Healthy Aging | OneSkin. Accessed February 23, 2025. https://www.oneskin.co/
8. 2060.life – The Shortest Path to Indefinite Lifespan. Accessed February 23, 2025. https://2060.life/
9. Definition of SENIOR CITIZEN. February 18, 2025. Accessed February 23, 2025. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/senior+citizen
10. Carmona JJ, Michan S. Biology of Healthy Aging and Longevity. Published online 2016.
11. Most J, Tosti V, Redman LM, Fontana L. Calorie restriction in humans: an update. Ageing Res Rev. 2017;39:36-45. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2016.08.005
12. Pyrkov TV, Avchaciov K, Tarkhov AE, Menshikov LI, Gudkov AV, Fedichev PO. Longitudinal analysis of blood markers reveals progressive loss of resilience and predicts human lifespan limit. Nat Commun. 2021;12(1):2765. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-23014-1