In Australia, we enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world but the population is ageing rapidly and no one has been able to slow down the rate at which we are going to age.
A study led by European researchers has now confirmed while we’re living longer, we’re probably not staving off death.
They analysed patterns of births and deaths in 39 populations, looking at the relationship between life expectancy and lifespan equality.
The researchers say the increase in human life expectancy is more likely the result of the statistical outcome of improved survival for children and young adults – not slowing down of the ageing clock.
“Populations get older mostly because more individuals get through those early stages of life,” said Susan C Alberts, professor of biology and evolutionary anthropology at Duke University and senior author of the paper.
“Early life used to be so risky for humans, whereas now we prevent most early deaths.”
In humans, lifespan equality is closely related to life expectancy: people from populations that live longer also tend to die at a similarly old age, while populations with shorter life expectancies tend to die at a wider range of ages.
So, we can’t slow down the rate at which we’re going to age – but we can prevent people from dying at younger ages.
Seems like a worthy goal – but I wouldn’t be throwing out the moisturiser just yet.
