American scientists predict that we can live to be 200 years old by the end of this century. These predictions have aroused many people's questions: How long can human beings live? How can we live longer? With these questions, our reporter interviewed scientists and research institutions at home and abroad and got a preliminary understanding of the latest progress in world longevity research. What exactly is longevity? What is the age of longevity? Professor Yang Ze, director of the Genetics Department of Beijing Geriatrics Research Institute of the Ministry of Health, told the reporter that it is generally believed that people over 90 years old live a long life, 80 years old is called old age, and people over 65 years old are considered old age. At present, the longevity ratio of China population is 2/100000, while the longevity ratios of Bama in Guangxi and Hotan in Xinjiang, two major longevity towns in China, are 35/100000 and 67/100000 respectively. Professor Dieter Progl, head of the German Longevity Medical Research Center, told this reporter that it is generally believed that the natural life span of human beings exceeds 100 years. People's life span is mainly realized by internal and external factors. The internal cause is gene, and the external cause is environment and living habits. Internal cause: genetic research is gradually becoming clear. "Longevity research has been scientific for nearly a hundred years; In the past 10 years, the research on life span has gradually made a breakthrough. " Professor Dieter Proger told reporters that German scientists surveyed 576 centenarians in 15 years and found that the average age of their parents when they died was 9- 10 years older than the average person. Therefore, scientists believe that the genetic factors of longevity are very important. He said that at present, longevity research has become an interdisciplinary and rapidly developing research topic. In the eyes of European scientists, aging is a complex regulation process of multiple genes, which is manifested by changes in telomere length, DNA damage, DNA methylation and cell oxidation. These factors affect life span. At present, scientists focus on two aspects: 1. Looking for "longevity genes". During the interview, experts mainly talked about two research directions. One is "chromosome 4". European scientists believe that there is a longevity gene on chromosome 4, and if drugs can be invented to stimulate the longevity gene, the pace of human aging can be slowed down. At home, scientists are doing the same research. Professor Yang Ze told reporters that since 2004, when they studied the long-lived elderly people in Bama, Guangxi, they found that there may be longevity genes on chromosome 4 of these elderly people. Next, they plan to find these genes in 2-3 years and study their specific physiological functions. "If successful, it will be of reference significance to the entire population of China." Professor Yang Ze said. The second is apolipoprotein E, which can be divided into three subtypes: 2, 3 and 4, in which both types 2 and 3 can delay the onset age, reduce the incidence rate and promote life expectancy. Scientists in France, Italy and other countries generally believe that apolipoprotein E2 gene can prolong human life. In China, scientists such as Professor Yang Ze found that there are many apolipoprotein E3 in the long-lived elderly, accounting for 80%-90%, which is also the genetic symbol of the long-lived elderly in Bama. How to stimulate them to function better will be the focus of scientists' next work. In addition, some studies have found that transgenic technology can increase the proliferation ability of human cells and prolong their life. Some studies show that injecting new genes into aging muscles can rejuvenate people. 2. Suppress the "life-reducing gene". Speaking of this, people are most familiar with free radicals. Professor Hu Gang, director of the function evaluation room of health care products for the elderly in the Institute of Geriatrics, told the reporter that it is basically recognized internationally that the harm of free radicals to human body is one of the important factors that lead to the shortening of human life. If there are too many free radicals, the permeability of cell membrane will be reduced, and even enzymes and DNA will be destroyed, so that cells will gradually "age". Hearing this, the reporter asked a question: Now many products on the market are playing the slogan of "eliminating free radicals and anti-aging". How effective are they? Professor Li Jian, director of the Institute of Geriatrics, told reporters that to answer this question, we must first understand where the free radicals come from. At present, scientists have discovered a kind of NADPH oxidase, which is widely found in blood vessels and blood cells and will lead to the production of free radicals. Many large foreign companies are studying how to inhibit the expression of this enzyme, thus preventing the production of free radicals. "However, this enzyme is just one of many substances that cause free radicals, and we still have a lot of work to do." As for the "free radical scavenging" products on the market, Professor Li Jian pointed out that most of them walk on one leg, only scavenging free radicals, but not inhibiting the production of free radicals, so the effect is not great. Americans have done a large-scale experiment with tens of thousands of people, and found that only taking antioxidants that can scavenge free radicals can not reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease and other diseases, let alone prolong life. In addition to free radicals, type 4 of apolipoprotein E mentioned above will promote the onset of Alzheimer's disease and damage life expectancy. How to inhibit its expression is also a hot topic for scientists. External factors: to confirm the influence of living habits, "internal factors" are very important, and "external factors" can not be ignored. According to Professor Dieter Proger's research, the effect of environment and living habits on longevity can even reach 66%. At present, in terms of "external factors", scientists have put forward the following four points: First, diet. A study in Europe said that eating less can delay aging. According to the Heidelberg Vegetarian Research Association in Germany, vegetarians live longer than those who have no dietary taboos. Professor Yang Ze also found that the daily calorie intake of the long-lived elderly in Bama is lower than 1500 calories recommended by the International Longevity Association, only 1400 calories. The second is psychology. British psychologists have found through research that travel and vacation can prolong people's life. Compared with those who never go out for a holiday, those who go out for a holiday every year are 265,438+0% less likely to die in the next 9 years. "Mental effects also have a great influence on life expectancy." Professor Li Jian said that when he was in Switzerland, he saw many elderly people who were particularly independent, and some of them were still street volunteers. This positive attitude towards life is undoubtedly conducive to longevity. The third is living habits. Professor Yang Ze believes that people should pay attention to keeping the law of life after the age of 30 and accumulate more energy for later life. He said that a person's life is actually a process of constant consumption. Staying up late, drinking too much and exercising too much will all lead to excessive physical consumption. And the body can consume so much and use less. When reading the research materials provided by Professor Progl of German Longevity Medical Research Center, the reporter found that unhealthy lifestyle is the number one cause of human death. In Europe, 70%-80% people die of "lifestyle diseases"-heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. Peter eyck Lester, a health professor at Fidelity University, even thinks that lazy people live longer on the grounds that an active body will produce more "free radicals" and accelerate the aging process. The fourth is the living environment. In Bama, Guangxi, long-lived elderly people have some common characteristics: sexual life starts late and childbearing is late; Many generations live together, not alone; The diet is light, and all foods are completely natural and green; They all live in adobe houses, and there are no modern decoration materials in the houses. Professor Yang Ze said: "Having such a living environment is definitely conducive to longevity." In such an environment, many people who are in poor health will become healthy. Professor Yang Ze told reporters that society needs development, but some traditional living habits really can't be lost. He hopes that some good traditional lifestyles can be written into the longevity guide in the future for people's reference. Health first, longevity second. In the interview, Professor Proger told this reporter that we should seriously understand the two slogans put forward by the World Health Organization: "Give life time, give time life". It means that even if you can extend your life indefinitely through gene regulation, you still have to pursue the quality of life and live a meaningful life. In summing up the problem of longevity, Professor Li Jian told reporters that although modern people live a long life, many people associate diseases only after their forties and fifties. The truly healthy "age" is similar to the average age of ancient people, and the later life span is completely maintained by modern medical technology. How significant can such "longevity" be? Therefore, longevity must introduce the concept of health. Only the elderly with clear thinking, certain independent living ability and no serious diseases can be called real longevity. Such a long life can make you happy physically and mentally, and at the same time, it will not bring too much burden to the family and society.