Threshold of life expectancy

2017/07/10 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Medikuntza
• Osasuna

Just over a year ago, researchers said that people's life expectancy had reached the maximum limit through an article published in the scientific journal Nature. According to these researchers, the XIX. Starting in the twentieth century, life expectancy has experienced a steep boom.In addition, they recall that the results of genetic and pharmacological experiments with animals suggest that life can be extended even further.

Undoubtedly, this hope joins the dream of many and the predictions of certain religions or beliefs (although not all promise that life is always in this world).

In any case, after these statements, the researchers present their results and show that no, that life expectancy can no longer grow, that is, that it has reached the limit. In order to reach this conclusion, they established the age of the deceased older person every year since 1970. Until the mid-1990s the age of the dead was growing, but from then on it was planted in 114.9 years. The expectations of some were over.

Now, however, Nature itself has published five new research groups that respond to this article. Although they have used different arguments and data, all have said that the conclusion of the investigation was erroneous. Among other things, they say they have looked at few data. For example, they did not take into account the older person who died in 2004, the French Jeanne Calment. He died at 122 years of age.

In addition, they consider that they have misinterpreted the interruptions of the general boom. This also occurs in the long jump and in the records of some sports, but they warn that the main trend is always to overcome the previous ones.

Those at the University of McGill (Canada) have gone even further and, based on their data and calculations, have announced that in 2300 the older person will be 150 years old. Those in Copenhagen, for their part, affirm that there are no internal clocks that limit the duration of life and that, even if it existed, the advances that slow the aging will change the clock.

However, perhaps the real question is not how many years, but how. The World Health Organization has made this concern public. Although it recognizes that the increase in life expectancy is a great achievement, it demands the need to adapt society to the situation, not only to care for the health of the elderly, but also to respect other rights.

Published in the newspaper Berria.