What's the secret to living to 100?

Brett Connolly

12/10/10

The lifespan in the U.S. increased more than 60 percent during the 20th century. So does this mean we can expect a similar jump in the 21st century? Not according to most longevity researchers.

"The increase in life expectancy between 1900 to 2000 has nothing whatsoever to do with aging," said Dr. Richard Miller, professor of gerontology at the University of Michigan. "It's almost completely due to the prevention of infectious disease and prenatal mortality in people who are below the age of 30 years. None of that change represents anti-aging,"

Researchers are split over whether there's any biological limit to how old a human can live. Dr. Steven Austad has bet public health professor Jay Olshansky from the University of Chicago that the first person to live to 150 was born by 2000. They've put $300 into a fund anticipating growth of 9.5 percent to reach $500 by 2150. It's up to the winner's heirs to collect the cash.

"What makes me confident about that is the number of different ways that we know how to make animals live longer already," Austad said. "There are pharmaceuticals, there are genetic manipulations, and there are dietary manipulations. There are literally dozens of ways we know how to make animals live longer and stay healthier," he said, adding, "and some of those are probably not going to be relevant to people but some of them are and we'll sort those out in the next decade or two." 

For more on what scientists are learning about living past 100, click on the audio story below.