Most babies born this century will live to 100 (born in rich countries, that is)

[Libertas1776]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/most-babies-born-this-century-will-live-to-100-1.1491767

http://www.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.1493693.1254445800!image/1150526986.jpg_gen/derivatives/display_600/1150526986.jpg

Most babies born in rich countries this century will eventually make it to their 100th birthday, new research says.
Danish experts say that since the 20th century, people in developed countries are living about three decades longer than in the past. Surprisingly, the trend shows little sign of slowing down.
<snip>
"Improvements in health care are leading to ever slowing rates of aging, challenging the idea that there is a fixed ceiling to human longevity," said David Gems, an aging expert at University College London. Gems was not connected to the research, and is studying drugs that can lengthen the life span of mice, which may one day have applications for people...The obesity epidemic, however, may complicate matters. Extra weight makes people more susceptible to diseases and may increase their risk of dying.
<snip>
"We are within five to 10 years of a watershed event where there will be more people on earth over 65 than there under five," he said. "Those extra years need to be financed somehow and we need to start thinking about it now."

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Well, I guess that leaves me out, what with me having been born during the dark ages (i.e. the 20th Century.) Meh, I, for one, wouldn't want to prolong my existence in the future hellscape that will exist with the coming of global climate change. If anything, I really feel sorry for babies born know that will be living into the next century. Boy, they sure are gonna hate us 20th Cent. folks when they look back.

Also, at the rate this country is going, I don't know how much longer we can classify ourselves as a rich country. I doubt our kin will be living into the 100s with our current health care system that seems like it will be around forever.

[Barack_America]

1. So not our country then? We are last in life expectancy amongst industrialized nations.

After all.

[Libertas1776]

4. Well,

Don't you see, America is purposely making sure that our offspring don't live to an advanced age by refusing them universal health care, that way they don't have to suffer long in the shitty future destroyed by global warming caused in large part by America.:sarcasm: It makes perfect sense :silly:

[elleng]

2. Dad is 95, my daughters and I were born in 19s, so I wonder!

[Hannah Bell]

3. i doubt it.

[JackRiddler]

5. Future projections should be phrased in a conditional tense.

[Odin2005]

6. IMO that is a very conservative prediction.

Then again, I'm a Transhumanist and techno-utopian, so you would expect me to say that.

[dmallind]

7. So we'd better change the retirement age from what it was set to under Bismarck PDQ! NT

[Mari333]

8. and they will have nuclear powered underpants

and wear antennas on their heads and they will be 10 feet tall.
Ptolemy.

[XemaSab]

9. Depending on how polluted the environment will be

:shrug:

[SheilaT]

10. I'm rather skeptical of that claim.

Most? A lot depends on your individual genetics, plus your life choices. Smoking and being obese definitely shorten life span.

Plus, several years back I read an interesting article which said that essentially our bodies are designed to last about 80 years, give or take just a few. So while good health care certainly matters, and living a healthy lifestyle also helps, I find it quite difficult to believe that most of us really can make it that long. And yes, I know that the piece specifically states that the prediction applies to children born in this century, but still, they're not going to have significantly different genetics than the rest of us.