At the turn of the 20th Century, one could expect to live until 47 in the U.S. Now, medical advancements, like vaccines and antibiotics, and public health initiatives have increased life expectancy in the U.
S. to 77 years old and 73 globally. While health conditions and systemic barriers like socioeconomic inequities and environmental conditions play a role in how long you live , researchers are finding that through individual lifestyle modifications and precision medicine , there are ways to counter the mechanisms behind aging to potentially help people live even longer and healthier.
“Healthy longevity medicine is not science fiction anymore,” Dr. Andrea Maier, a professor in medicine and functional aging at the National University of Singapore and the founding president of the Healthy Longevity Medicine Society, told Fortune at the Longevity Investors Conference in Gstaad, Switzerland last month. “We understand why we age.
We understand, especially through life interventions , how to intervene.” The idea that we play a role in how well we age has led to a proliferation of biohackers or longevity optimists confident they will live to 150—and even beyond—because they are willing to experiment with the latest interventions to optimize health. Kayla Barnes , CEO of LYV Wellness, an LA-based longevity clinic, previously told Fortune she hopes to live 150 healthy years alongside her husband.
At the same time, the entrepreneur turned biohacker Bryan Johnson doesn’t .