Living a good life is not always determined by the years you are living. But longevity is the science that just do that. Longevity is the science that study the time that humans live or survives from birth to death. Longevity is the that research and understanding of the factors and the facts that play in the during of human life.
This article aims to give a brief overview of the field of longevity, and what longevity is.
The definition of longevity
Longevity is: the length of time that an individual survives from birth to death. The average lifespan in the United States has increased over the past century, but it remains lower than most other developed countries. In 1900, the average American male lived for only 47 years; by 2000, this had risen to 78 years. For females, the corresponding figures were 55 years and 82 years, respectively.
In the US, there are significant differences between races and ethnic groups. African Americans have the shortest average lifespan at 73 years. Native Americans have the longest, at 86 years. Whites have an average lifespan of 79 years. Hispanics have an average lifespan of 77 years. Asians have an average lifespan of 81 years.
How is longevity defined?
Longevity is defined by biologists as the average lifespan expected when living in an ideal environment. Ideal environments include having enough food, water, and shelter. Longevity is usually measured in years.
Life expectancy increased significantly over the last century. Average lifespan was 50 years ago. Today, life expectancy is almost 80 years old. Women live an average of 81 years, while men live an average of 76 years.
Humans could possibly live longer if they created an ideal environment for themselves. A healthy diet and exercise are necessary for humans to live longer.
What determines your longevity?
Life extension techniques have not been proven to work in humans yet. The only proven way for people to live longer is to lead a healthy lifestyle.
There are many factors that determine how long you will live. These factors include genetics, gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, health conditions, and environmental factors such as air quality, noise levels, and pollution.
Genetics
Your genes play a major role in determining your lifespan. Genes affect everything about your body, including your physical appearance, disease risk, metabolism, immune system, and overall health. Some genetic mutations cause diseases, which shorten your lifespan. Other genetic mutations help protect against certain diseases, which may extend your lifespan.
Gender
Women tend to live longer than men. This difference is due to biological differences between males and females. Men’s bodies produce more testosterone, which increases their risk for heart disease and cancer. Women’s bodies produce less testosterone, so they’re protected from these diseases.
Age
As you get older, your risk of dying increases. Your chance of getting sick also increases with age. As a result, your lifespan decreases.
Race
African-Americans have the lowest life expectancies among all racial groups. They live on average 10 years shorter than whites. Native Americans have the highest life expectancies, followed by Caucasians, Latinos, and Asian/Pacific Islanders.
Socioeconomic Status
People who earn higher incomes tend to live longer than those who earn lower incomes. People with higher income levels also tend to be healthier than people with lower income levels.
Health Conditions
The presence of chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure can decrease your lifespan.
Environmental Factors
Air quality, noise levels, pollution, and other environmental factors can impact your lifespan. For example, exposure to secondhand smoke has been linked to lung cancer and cardiovascular disease
Life expectancy
Death rates are increasing every year. People are living longer than ever before. In 1900, the average lifespan was 40 years. By 2000, it had risen to 75 years. In 2015, the World Health Organization predicts that the average lifespan will reach 82 years.
Life Expectancy Statistics
Average Life Span:
• Men – 76 Years
• Women – 81 Years
Median Age at Death:
• Men – 78 Years
• Women – 84 Years
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Statistics for longevity
Longevity is defined as the length of time an individual lives. It includes both the number of years lived and the number of years remaining until death.
The following table shows the statistics for longevity around the world.
Country Average Life Span (years) Median Age at Death (years) Worldwide 82.0 77.3 United States 80.9 79.2 Europe 74.7 72.1 Japan 83.4 81.5 China 86.8 85.6 India 71.2 70.8 Sub-Saharan Africa 61.6 60.2 North America 50.0 49.2 Australia 67.0 65.0 South Korea 73.0 69.0 Source: United Nations, Department for Economic and Social Affairs
Scientific journal articles for further reading
Martin et al. (2007) found that genetic determinants of human health span and lifespan include many genes involved in metabolism, immunity, and inflammation. However, these genes do not explain much of the variance in human lifespan.
People who live longer than others have different genes. This study shows that people who live more than 100 years have different genes than those who live less than 90 years.
We found that fasting mimics many aspects of caloric restriction (CR) by reducing body weight, blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, and circulating triglycerides. In addition, we observed significant changes in circulating inflammatory cytokines, and other metabolic hormones. These results suggest that CR may be achieved without calorie restriction by using fasting as an intervention.
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