Want To Live Longer?

Scientists are developing drugs that remove ‘zombie cells’ which cause disease

You can live 15 years longer by eating healthily, not smoking and exercising

Immortality might still be a concept in the realm of science fiction or the pipe dreams of billionaires.

But there are lifestyle changes you can do today that may help you turn back the clock.

Simple tips, like exercise and a healthy lifestyle, could extend our lives by 15 years, scientists say.

And experts have also revealed exciting developments in the pipeline that could eradicate the disease-causing cells responsible for the ageing process.

Here, we asks the world’s top anti-aging scientists what you can do to live longer.

Dr David Clancy, from Lancaster University, who has spent decades researching how to delay the onset of age-related decline, has two tips for an longer life — calorie restriction and exercise.

It may seem simple, we’ve been told to eat healthy and exercise for years, but the mechanics of how this influences aging are a complex.

Dr Clancy explained that these measures can help clear the body of senescent cells, also called ‘zombie cells’.

These are cells that eventually stop dividing, and then accumulate, releasing compounds in the body that accelerate ageing.

Dr David Clancy from Lancaster University says says both exercise and diet restriction makes ‘zombie’ cells clean themselves up

Dr David Clancy from Lancaster University says says both exercise and diet restriction makes ‘zombie’ cells clean themselves up

The younger you are the better your body’s immune system is equipped to get rid of these ‘zombie cells’, but this capacity shrinks as we get older.

Some scientists think we will be able to slow down ageing by taking medication that ‘cleans up’ these senescent cells.

But for now, Dr Clancy said grey hairs and aching joints could be held back through regular exercise and diet restriction.

‘When things go into a state of starvation or where they think there is going to be substantial energetic demand, the cell will go into a state where they start to clean up proteins that are not working properly,’ he said.

‘These proteins can hang around in normal conditions, but when the cell thinks there is going to be energy demands on it, then these things get cleaned up.’

Physical activity benefits the immune system by reducing the burden of senescent cells in skeletal muscle and fat cells, according to a review by researchers at the University of Birmingham in 2019.

But another recent study by researchers in Taiwan suggests this is only possible with grueling high-intensity exercise.

When it comes to a calorie restriction, Dr Clancy suggests a method that worked for his aunt who lived until she was in her 90s — a decade longer than the average life expectancy for a woman in the UK.

He says her secret was not exercise, but ‘Ashkenazi genes, a life of relative ease’ and a ‘liquid diet’ for one day of the week, every week.

‘Now, I don’t think the liquid included sherry or wine, but just tea and coffee or water,’ Dr Clancy said.

But he added: ‘The trouble with these behavioural changes is that they are very difficult to maintain.’

What Anımals Lıve The Longest And How Do They Do It?

Jellyfish

The turritopsis nutricula jellyfish is technically immortal and could live for 1000s of years.

This is because it has a unique trait allowing it to revert its cells back to childhood after reaching sexual maturity.

The jellyfish, which is no longer than a fingernail, is able to reverse its own ageing process.

It means, theoretically, the only thing stopping it living for millennia is predators.

Scientists are still studying the exact way it is able to reverse the ageing process, but it is believed stem cells may play a role in the process.

Stem cells are cells created by the body that can change into any other type of specific cell.

They are the focus of research for several chronic illnesses, like heart disease, because of their potential to turn into healthy blood vessels and repair the organ.

Tortoises

The Galapagos tortoise — discovered in the island group where Charles Darwin came up with the theory of evolution — can live up to 120 years old.

Scientists believe one of the reasons behind its long lifespan is the way its cells work.

All cells in the body divide up to a maximum number of times before they stop changing and become a senescent — or ‘zombie’ — cell.

Scientists believe ageing is caused by having more cells become senescent over time.

If you put a human cell in a petri dish, it would divide around 50 times, whereas a Galapagos tortoise see its cells can divide more than 100 times.

The tortoises also do not suffer any natural predators in their habitat, meaning they regularly enjoy their full lifespans.

Crocodiles

Saltwater crocodiles tend to live to the age of around 70 in the wild but can live up to 100 in captivity.

Like the Galapagos tortoise, crocodile’s cells are particularly resistant to senescence.

This means they are unlikely to ever die simply of old age, with limits on their lifespans usually caused by external factors, such as habitat degradation or hunting.

Studies on crocodile gut bacteria also found it to have cancer-fighting properties.

And crocodiles are also apex predators, meaning they are not generally killed by other animals — other than humans.