Death is unavoidable. But the journey there is far from universal.

Average life expectancy at birth around the world is now around 73 years But in countries and even in the US vary widely between individual states. I, and possibly many readers, know some people who have barely lost a step because they have grown up, as well as people who rejected fast as soon as they entered their golden years. These realities invite this question: how can we slow down our biological clock? And will we get closer to the fountains of youth in the near future?

No-centenary

There is some good and bad news.

First, bad news. There is probably a difficult limit for our longevity. Last year a study found While the life expectancy has been very high everywhere since the beginning of the 20th century, the rate of growth in the US and other high -income countries has been largely submerged in the last 30 years. Today only 3% of women and 1% of men in America are still expected to reach 100. This and other research suggests that the radical life is far from the expansion table, at least for the future.

Although all hope is lost, however. Many researchers in the field of aging have started calling for a new perspective. Instead of focusing only on extending our lifetime, they argue, we should also work to improve our healthcase – we have left the years of good health years in our hour glasses. This is not a strict difference. Research on the oldest known humans has found that they are generally healthy than their average person throughout their life. But there are also people who still die in their 70s or 80s, while some experience old health issues that usually harass their peers in advance.

Clear ABC of longevity

The good news is that we are many evidence-supported ways to promote or maintain our health according to age. Many of these should not come as a surprise, such as physical activity. The form of any zodiac and exercise, whether it is jogging, WeighingOr Flexibility trainingIt is good for you, irrespective of your age.

“There is no question that regular exercise is associated with a better lifetime and healthy lifestyle,” said Sanjai Sinha, an associate professor at Clinical Medicine and a health center at Hudson Yards in Mount Sinai Health System. “There are figures that combine exercise to reduce the risk of heart disease, metabolic disease, cancer and neurodynative diseases.”

Diet, also, plays an important role in slowing the clock. Many different diets have been linked to longevity and general health, but according to Sinha, the most consistent, is the Mediterranean diet. This diet encourages a lot of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil, fish and a moderate consumption of fish and poultry, and limited intake of red and processed meats, refined sugars and saturated fat. 2023 review of 40 clinical trials found The Mediterranean diet made life better than six other diets in life for a long time among high heart risk people.

There are also things that we can avoid or at least we can moderate our intake to increase our lives. Smoking, heavy alcohol drinking (is more uncertain with data By drinking light to moderate), And sedentary behavior are all associated with a small life. Some unknown or unexpected health risk can make our lifetime complicated even further in the drain. A study this week just found For example, a possible relationship between fast aging and persistent nightmares.

Anti-aging duds and success

There is still a lot that we do not know about the biology of aging, and we still know less when it comes to the medical form. Certainly, you can browse online pharmacies and store shelves and present dozens of supplements or other products that claim anti-aging effects, but when inspected closely, the data supporting these claims is usually smokeless or very preliminary. Just this month, NIH scientists failed to find evidence that Azing is connected to the decreasing levels of the torineA semi-essential amino acids are usually sold as a supplement, opposite to earlier research.

Sinha said, “While they can have a positive impact on some genes and proteins that are associated with aging, these supplements have not been proved to prolong the lifetime in any well -designed human tests,” Sinha said. “I don’t believe that any of these products or substances stand out in the rest.”

This does not mean that there are no promising longevity medicines in the works. Last year, a nationwide study of more than 65 3,000 people began Testing Metformin- For a long, important type 2 diabetes drug-degradation (testing is expected to end by 2030). Rapamycin, drugs used to prevent organ rejection, are also being studied in trials anti aging And Age -related disorderAnd longevity researchers such as Anthony Molina, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, hope that we will soon find real success among some of these tests.

Molina said, “Such clinical trials have been made possible by advances in the development of biomorkers of biological aging, which can be assessed in coordination with functional/clinical results, which reporting on health conditions throughout the ages,” Molina, Stein Institute for Research for Aging and the Center for the Center for Health. “I think in the next few years, we will distinct what actually works and not supported by data in humans.”

Scientists are also continuing new discoveries about aging biological drivers. For example, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio are studying a characteristic, which they have coined “immune flexibility” – the ability to remove the immune system infection and other real dangers very much without causing too much unnecessary inflammation. In a study in this April, they found People in the middle age group with the best immune flexibility may have the benefit of surviving 15 years with the poorest people.

“Inflammation is completely essential, but it should be in the right place, correct amount, correct type and correct period,” said Sunil Ahuja said Sunil Ahuja said Sunil Ahuja said Sunil Ahuja, a professor at a medicine and a South Texas Veterans Health Care System at UT Health San Antonio.

Due to optimism

Broadly recommended lifestyle habits such as exercise and a healthy diet are associated with immune flexibility, Ahuja notes. But they hope that someday, doctors can provide personal treatment that promotes a person’s flexibility and similarly, maintain their healthy aging. With adequate detailed analysis of people’s genetics, metabolism, microbiom and other congenital characteristics, they argue, it will be possible for a person to prepare an ideal health-witted diet or preventive drugs, the way doctors can now modify cancer treatment based on unique makeup of tumors.

We are not there yet, of course. But some additional encouragement here is optimistic: optimism only helps you live Long and healthy,

“People often ask me what a magical food, a superfood will be. And I would say that a real superfood is your attitude, your mindset. There are people who look at life and stress in a positive way. And when they do, we think that we and others have developed that we have developed-which they maintains, if you tell about an opposing-inflammatory state,” said Ahuja.

no one Lives Forever. But there is a lot that we can do to make our time pleasant and healthy here. With any luck, too much suggestions and tricks for longevity will emerge in our lifetime.