JAKARTA - The question of the human lifespan is always interesting to discuss. In the midst of medical technological advances and increased awareness of a healthy lifestyle, many people wonder, can humans live more than 100 years, or even far beyond that?
The fact that the oldest human ever recorded in history is Jeanne Calment, a French woman who died at the age of 122. This record has not been broken until now. This makes scientists ask, is this age the natural limit of humans, or can it still be broken in the future.
According to Dr. Dan Belsky, professor of epidemiology from Columbia University, the answer to this question is not entirely clear. In his interview with the media WIRED, he gave a presentation.
"As far as we know, the oldest person who has ever lived is Jeanne Calment who reached the age of 122. Since then, no one has surpassed that age," he said, quoted from the LADbible website.
Currently, the global average life expectancy is in the range of 73 years, although the figure varies in each country. Economic factors, access to health services, diet, and the living environment greatly affect the length of life. However, a number of experts believe that the number of people who live to the age of 100 will continue to increase.
Author and journalist William J. Kole through his book The Big 100: The New World of Super-Aging estimates that by 2050 the number of people aged 100 will increase eightfold compared to today. He predicts that half of the five-year-old children living today have the potential to reach triple digits.
However, Dr. Belsky reminded that the increase in the number of very old elderly does not necessarily mean that the human lifespan can continue to increase indefinitely. He explained that researchers have compared the ages of the oldest people in the world for more than a century and the results show that the maximum human age tends to stagnate in the same range.
"This raises the suspicion that there is a biological limit to human age. However, whether we have reached that limit or can still be pushed further, we don't really know," said Dr. Belsky.
A number of biological studies try to answer it from the body cell side. One study mentions that theoretically, the endurance of human cells may only be able to last until the age of about 150 years.
After that, the cell repair system weakens and the body is no longer able to maintain its functions. Although this figure is more theoretical, scientists call it the end line of human biological ability.
On the other hand, the blue zones phenomenon is also often used as an example that humans can live very long. Areas such as Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nicoya in Costa Rica, Icaria in Greece, and Loma Linda in California are known to have a high number of elderly residents.
Simple eating patterns, regular physical activity, strong social relationships, and low stress levels are believed to be the key to longevity in these areas.
Humans can indeed live more than 100 years, and the number is expected to continue to increase. However, whether humans can live far beyond the age limit that has ever been recorded is still a mystery. Scientists agree that in addition to a long life, a healthy and meaningful quality of life remains the main goal.
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