Aging - What will we be like in 30 years?

[Crewman47]

When you walk down the high street, or are watching the news or wherever you are you'll see todays over 65 year olds looking wrinkled, sometimes frail, and usually walking with some kind of aid and I've often wondered, that although I'm barely 30 just now, will I look like the elderly today in 30 or 40 years time or with advances in medicine and technology could we still retain our youthful good looks right up till we reach 100?

What do you think, how will we look in a few decades time?

 

[STR]

Most people in my family live to their 80's, I've got several close relatives that are or lived to their 90's, and a centenarian that's a direct ascendant. Plus, we've got a seemingly dominant gene that keeps my direct line of family incredibly healthy (I haven't had a cold in 2 years, my current record is 4 years between colds, and I work with the public) and thin.

Barring some breakthrough in invasive nanotechnology, which probably won't see the light in our lifetimes, you're looking at studying my genes, and those like me, and using that knowledge in gene therapy. I hope you can get the longevity and good health without the giraffe neck.

The elderly, however, will look the same. Good looks at old age is simply not something that was selected for in Homo sapiens evolution. Your best bet is staying out of the sun, and botox. The level of activity is up to the individual. From what I hear, it's damn hard keeping up with William Shatner, especially these days.

 

[Deks]

Well, one of the ways of potentially increasing your life expectancy is to keep yourself thin (although not insanely so), do cardiovascular exercises, meditate, and keep mentally stimulated.

These are the things I do for the most part, and if anything, standard life expectancy should be pretty high for most of people who follow these simple 'regulatons'.
I noticed a lot of elderly people who have a tendency of dying in their 70-ies or 80-ies (possibly 90-ies) do so because of their severely reduced physical activity, putting on a lot of weight and not really doing anything mentally challenging.

Of course we cannot discontinue genetics, but at the same time, just how many people actually meditate in this day and age, or do some meaningful physical activity on a regular basis that would impact their bodies in a good way?

 

[JonathonWally]

Well, one of the ways of potentially increasing your life expectancy is to keep yourself thin (although not insanely so), do cardiovascular exercises, meditate, and keep mentally stimulated.

These are the things I do for the most part, and if anything, standard life expectancy should be pretty high for most of people who follow these simple 'regulatons'.

It's a crap shoot. For all you know, you could a undetected heart defect that gives you a massive heart attack at age 42. Or have a brain aneurysm and stroke out at 30.

I noticed a lot of elderly people who have a tendency of dying in their 70-ies or 80-ies (possibly 90-ies) do so because of their severely reduced physical activity, putting on a lot of weight and not really doing anything mentally challenging.

Things like arthritis and osteoporosis are a real bitch like that.


Honestly, the best you can do is eat healthy, exercise the best you can, and use sunblock.

George Burns smoked and drank a lot, lived to be 100
Jim Fix was in excellent shape, dropped dead at 52

 

[steve1961]

More like this
http://gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2007_11_nydecay.jpg

http://www.channel4.com/assets/programmes/images/life-after-people/life-after-people_625x352.jpg

 

[Deks]

To each their own.
It doesn't really hurt to do these things for one thing, and it just might reflect pretty good on you as a result.

 

[RandyS]

In 30 years I will be even more handsome than I am now.

And believe me, that's saying something.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

In thirty years you'll look like a much older person. How frail you are has to do with many factors and they're not all under your control.

The people I know well who are in their late sixties and early seventies are mostly fairly athletic, healthy and (ugh, kids, close your eyes) sexually active. That probably would not have been as true of people at the same age in, say, 1900, so better health care and a general social encouragement to remain active and engaged are probably having some effect.

The only way that you'll avoid natural changes in appearance as you age - grey hair, wrinkles, changes in skin texture and color, etc - is hair dye and cosmetic surgery.

 

[ring]

Don't try to overpopulate this earth by living beyond 90...75 is still fine...