Study Claims Humans Can Live to 150 Years Old? But What’s the Catch?
A new study on longevity says humans could live up to 150 years old. But does the science back up this claim?
A recent study by Singapore-based biotech firm GERO, examine the changes in blood cell counts and the number of steps taken by test subjects in the US, UK, and Russia. By studying these variables they found that people did not steadily decline as they age, but their resilience, or ability to bounce back from illness, stepped down over time. And barring disease or accidents, the maximum lifespan would be 150 years old when the body’s capacity for resilience would be exhausted.
Bill Andrews, president and CEO of Sierra Sciences, has studied anti-aging and telomeres for 30 years and is skeptical about this new claim.
“There have been at least five publications, and often times when I speak at conferences I’ll show those publications, in the last 25 years they’ve done a much better job of narrowing it down, and they’ve all come down to somewhere between 120 and 125 years,” Andrews said.
“Ok, so this new study that’s come out that claims 150 isn’t actually saying they’ve extended it out from 125 to 150, the accuracy of their data is not allowing them to give narrow answers. And when they contacted the press to make this press release about their study, they focused on the 150.”
Watch more:
About the Author
Study Shows That Fasting for 3 Days Can Reset The Immune System
Want to kick that cold or boost your immune system so you don’t even catch that cold in the first place? Forget the copious amounts of Vitamin C or drastic lifestyle changes; it turns out the old adage of starving a cold may actually be scientifically sound advice. That’s according to a study that says two to four days of fasting resets immune systems, benefitting everyone from healthy adults to chemotherapy patients.
How Fasting Helps the Immune System
According to a study in Cell, testing in both mice and humans showed that extended periods of fasting lowered white blood cell counts considerably. This produces a change of the signaling pathways of HSCs or hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to new blood and immune systems.
One of the study’s authors, Vlater Longo said, “When you starve, the system tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged.”
This can be especially beneficial for the elderly and those with autoimmune disorders who are more susceptible to disease and illness. Another find from the study showed that fasting lowers levels of a growth hormone known as IGF-1, which is linked to cancer, aging and tumor growth.
Scientists are also seeing the benefits of fasting in other areas of health, especially in the field of neuroscience. In one study, they found that fasting twice a week can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It also found that fasting can challenge the brain in the short term and stimulate two messaging chemicals that are key to the growth of new brain cells. This helps the brain become resistant to protein plaques that lead to neurodegenerative diseases.
A number of Silicon Valley execs are experimenting with fasting as a biohacking technique. Some of these biohackers abstain from food consumption for up to four days, while only drinking water, coffee or tea. CEOs, like Phil Libin, say it puts him in a better mood, keeps him more focused, and even provides a mild euphoria.
The science behind this is similar to the concepts of ketogenic diets where the body, when starved of carbohydrates and glucose, goes into ketosis, producing ketones from the breakdown of fat in the liver. The body uses these ketones in place of glucose, while burning fat to create said ketones.
Benefits of Fasting for Chemotherapy PatientsÂ
In a previous study, Longo and his team found that fasting in animals effectively treats a majority of cancer types. He also found that fasting in addition to chemotherapy is much more effective than chemotherapy alone.
