FILE- Emma Morano, on the day of November 29, 2016, Verbania, Italy, holds a cake and candles to mark 117 years. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
NEW YORK, NY (AP) – According to a recent study, the human race is reaching its maximum life expectancy.
Researchers found that despite advances in medical technology, genetic research and the number of people living to 100 years old, there was no significant increase in life expectancy in countries with long-lived populations.
“We need to acknowledge that there is a limit,” and perhaps reassess assumptions as to when people should retire, and how much money they will need to live the rest of their lives. S. Jay Olshansky was the lead author of a study published by Nature Aging on Monday.
Mark Hayward, an uninvolved researcher at the University of Texas, called the study “a valuable addition in the mortality literature.”
He agreed that “we are reaching a plateau in terms of life expectancy”. Hayward said that it’s possible a breakthrough could push the survival rate to new heights. “But we don’t currently have that,” he said.
What is the average life expectancy?
The life expectancy is the number of years that a baby born at a certain time can expect to live if death rates are constant. It is an important health measure, but it’s also imperfect. It’s a snapshot estimate, which cannot account for deadly epidemics, miracle cures, or other unforeseen events that could kill or save millions.
Olshansky, along with his research partners, tracked life expectancy estimates for 1990 to 2019 using a database maintained by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. The researchers focused their attention on eight places around the world where people are living the longest – Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland.
The U.S. is not even in the top 40. Olshansky added that the U.S. was included because “we live here” as well as past, bold predictions that life expectancy could increase dramatically in this century.
Who lives the longest among us?
Researchers found that women continue to live longer than their male counterparts and that improvements in life expectancy are still occurring, but at a slower pace. In 1990, an average improvement of 2 1/2 years per decade was recorded. In the 2010s it was only 1 1/2 years, and virtually zero in the U.S.
The U.S. has more problems because it is harder affected by a variety of issues that kills people even before they reach old age. These include drug overdoses and shootings, obesity, and inequities which make it difficult for some people to receive adequate medical care.
In one calculation, researchers calculated what would happen if all deaths occurred before the age of 50. Olshansky stated that the increase was at best only 1 1/2 years.
Eileen Crimmins is a gerontology expert at the University of Southern California. She said in an e-mail that she agreed with the study’s conclusions. She added: “For myself, the most important thing is the dismal relative position of the United States.”
Why life expectancy might not be able rise forever
Olshansky says that the study shows there is a limit on how long people can live. We’re just about at it.
“We’re getting less and less out of these technologies that extend life.” “Age gets in the way,” said he.
It’s not uncommon to hear about someone living to 100 years old. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter reached that milestone last weekend. Olshansky says that in 2019, just over 2% Americans reached 100 years old, compared to 5% in Japan and 9 % in Hong Kong.
Experts say that it’s likely the number of centenarians in the future will increase, but this is due to population growth. Olshansky says that the percentage of people who reach 100 will be limited. In most countries, less than 15% of women, and 5% men, will make it to this age.
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