Is 72 the New 30?


Life expectancy has risen faster over the past century than it did since the appearance of the humans, 200,000 years ago. That makes 72 the new 30, scientists say, and as reported by CNBC.

Early Life

News from researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany, stated that since 1900 the increase in life expectancy has left industrialized countries at odds to provide for the retirement income of this long-lived generation.

The study, published in the USA, focused on men from Sweden and Japan, which possess the highest longevity standards. The findings showed that men in 1800 could expect to live closer to those of the earliest hunter-gatherers than to contemporary adult men in Sweden or Japan.

Primitive hunter gatherers, age 30, were as likely to live as long Swedish and Japanese men aged 72.

Longevity data from chimpanzees in captivity was used to estimate pre-human lifespans, and data from modern hunter-gatherer tribes qualified as a source for early human lifespans.

The rate of rising human longevity is faster than genetically modified organisms - such as fruit flies. The rise in lifespan in the last 100 years has evolved without genetic improvements, but has been superior.

The report stated that the rise in longevity corresponded with the invention of antibiotics and vaccines, vast improvements in agricultural efficiency, and the accessibility of clean water.

Improvements in Assisted Living and Continuing Care residences has created longer and improved lifespans for residents.