composition and activity, giving them an immune system that helps them live
longer. Scientists believe these findings may be used to develop healthy
aging therapeutics.
The life expectancy of humans on our planet has more than doubled since
1900. Global life expectancy has increased from 31 years in 1900 to 73.2
years in 2023, and is expected to further increase to 77.1 years in 2050.
As human life expectancy has increased, so has the number of people living
to 100 years of age or older. Also increasing is the number of people
reaching the age of 100 or more. Known as centenarians researchers estimate
there were about 450,000 centenarians globally in 2015, with that number
projected to increase to 3.7 million in 2050.
Previous research in the early 2000s estimated that globally, the number of
people living to 100 years or older would more than quintuple between 2005
and 2030.
Led by researchers from Tufts Medical Center and Boston University School
of Medicine, a new study is helping to answer this question by finding that
centenarians possess a unique immune cell composition and activity, giving
them a highly-functional immune system and allowing them to live longer.
