A respected health economist writing in the online edition of the British Medical Journal claims that four out of every ten girls born today is expected to live to the golden age of 100.
John Appleby, chief economist at the King’s Fund, said that 40 percent of girls born in 2013 are forecast to live a full century, opposed to just 13 percent in 1951.
With science and medicine continuing to improve, the majority of girls born in 2060 could live to see 2160.
“Living longer is a good thing but not much fun if those extra years are lived in pain and discomfort,” said Professor Appleby.
“How healthy humans will be in the future is an open question, but historically at least … previous gains in health life expectancy have more to do with reductions in mortality than reductions in years lived in disability.”
Many people assumed that longevity of people would level off, but according to Professor Appleby, life expectancy can still increase.
This does pose some difficult questions, which Appleby took the liberty of asking.
“As more and more people live to older ages what will happen to the world’s population?
“Could we find our aged selves scrabbling for resources as the world’s population explodes?”
This is great news for the individuals who will live longer, but for the human race, it may be detrimental.
Jordan Shepherd | Elite.