• Question: Around how long could the human life span eventually extend to, provided this discovery was in the next 100 or so years?

    Asked by msraphaelamay to Alexis, Dr D, Helen, Jasmine, Mario on 17 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Alexis Barr

      Alexis Barr answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      This is a very tricky question and the real answer is – we don’t know! Some scientists think there is a limit on how long humans could live – about 125 years. One reason is because your cells are constantly repairing themselves to stay alive and keep working. As you age, these repair systems don’t work as well and so damage isn’t repaired, cells die and organs don’t work properly. There is still a lot we don’t know about ageing though and as scientists do more research – this number might increase!

    • Photo: Andrew Devitt

      Andrew Devitt answered on 21 Jun 2013:

      @msraphaelamay I think we can extend our life by a fair bit. There are a few difficult bits though. Some people have bad DNA – this makes them more likely to get some diseases like cancer and heart disease.

      Other people have good DNA and so we need to make sure their environment is good so we can keep them fit. This means looking after what they eat and what they do. So to live a long life? Probably stay out of the sun, don’t eat processed food, eat lots of anti-oxidants, avoid fatty meat and keep your calorie intake low. And then do lots of exercise. Not sure I like the sound of all that!

    • Photo: Jasmine Penny

      Jasmine Penny answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      Great question and I don’t know! But I would guess that we would eventually reach a point where our cells won’t grow and divide any more. This is called senescence or biological ageing. If we could live until 125 like Alexis suggests, that would be amazing wouldn’t it?!

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