Live and Let Thrive

The pursuit of immortality has occupied human minds since time immemorial. But it seems we’ve been looking in the wrong place. By focusing on fuel economy rather than kays on the clock, scientists have found a way to lengthen our healthspans.

- Ben Wilson

IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Tithonus was a Trojan prince granted everlasting life by Zeus, king of the gods, at the behest of the prince’s lover, Eos. Zeus reluctantly agreed, perhaps realising that Eos had made one grave error: she had forgotten to ask for everlasting youth. And so it came to pass that Tithonus aged and withered, but without the ultimate consolation of death. It’s a pertinent cautionary tale: who wants to live forever if life is not worth living? And, crucially, what good is longevity without health?

Currently, in the West at least, we’re doing alright. We suffer less from disease and war than at any point in our history. We exercise (more). We eat well (mostly). And we realise that stubbing out the cigs and getting a good night’s sleep are key to improved wellbeing. According to the US National Center for Health Statistics, these rudimentary advances have led to lower rates of heart disease, influenza and infant mortality all across the world, boosting South Africa’s national median lifespan from 46 years in the early 20th century to just over 67 today*.

“Two hundred years ago, most of us would have been dead by middle age,” says Dr Judy Campisi, an anti-ageing pioneer working at the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing. “That probably explains why, until recently, living longer was the big medical focus, rather than living healthier.”