科學家最新研究 人類壽命上限120歲大綱

The number of people living past 100 has soared by 71 per cent in the past decade. And while one expert believes this figure will continue to rise, he stated that anyone hoping to live for double or triple this time will be disappointed. Speaking at a gerontologyconference, Professor Sir Colin Blakemore, 70, a British neurobiologist and was formerly chief executive of the British Medical Research Council, claimed there is a ceiling on how long humans can live, and 120 years ‘might be a real absolute limit to human lifespan.’

過去十年，壽命達到100歲以上的老人數量激增71%。僅管專家表示這一數字還將繼續上升，但是希望活到200甚至300歲的人們恐怕要失望了。70歲的英國神經生物學家、英國醫學研究委員會前任主席柯林·布雷克莫爾近期在一個老年醫學會議上提出，人類壽命是有上限的，而120歲“很可能就是這個上限”。

A panel of gerontologists and scientists discussed the future of medicine, global health concerns and life expectancy. It agreed that medicines will have a limited effect on extending human life, and it was more important to improve the health and quality of life for older people, rather than prolonging it. The panel also stated it was key to improve the life expectancy in poorer regions, or areas where people typically die much younger than other areas.

老年醫學家和科學家們探討了藥物的未來，環球健康隱憂和人類壽命等問題。無疑，藥物對於延長人類壽命的影響是有限的，對於老年人來說，與其延長壽命，不如改善健康情況，提升生活質量。小組成員同樣認爲，貧困地區老人壽命通常較短，提升他們的壽命長度也刻不容緩。

The 2014 Global Age Watch Index, which ranks 96 nations on the quality of life for the elderly, recently stated that by 2050, the number of over 60s will be 21 per cent of the global population. This is almost double the current figure of 12 per cent. The proportionof over-80s is growing fastest, too – projected to rise from two per cent now to four per cent of the global population by 2050.

2014全球年齡指數衡量了96個國家的老年人生活質量。結果表明，到2050年，60歲以上人羣將佔據全球人口的21%，比起當下的12%來說是成倍的增長。而80歲以上的老人數量也將急劇增長，從目前的2%上升到4%。

While it could take years of research to extend humans’ lives in the same way, the study raises the prospect of anti-ageing treatments informed by genetic interactions, according to Dr Kapahi. ‘In the early years, cancer researchers focused on mutations in single genes, but then it became apparent that different mutations in a class of genes were driving the disease process,’ he said.

研究如何延長人類壽命並非易事，然而卡帕利博士的研究表明可以通過基因作用提高抗老化治療的可能性。“今年，癌症研究者注重單一基因的突變性，但是很明顯，同類基因的突變是導致病情加重的原因。”

The research, reported in the journal Cell Reports, involved blocking key molecules that affect the action of insulin and a nutrient signalling pathway called Target of Rapamycin (TOR). Single mutations in the TOR pathway were known to extend the lifespan of C. elegans by 30 per cent, while insulin-signalling mutations could double the amount of time they lived.

醫學期刊報道稱，有研究專門針對影響胰島素和營養物質的關鍵分子，即對雷帕黴素標靶（以下稱TOR）的抑制。TOR的單一變異可以將線蟲生命延長30%，而以胰島素爲標誌的變異可以將壽命延長一倍。

Adding the two together might have been expected to extend longevity by 130 per cent, but the combined impact turned out to be much greater. The research may explain why it has proved so difficult to identify single genes responsible for the long lives enjoyed by humans. ‘It's quite probable that interactions between genes are critical in those fortunate enough to live very long, healthy lives,’ said Dr Kapahi. Future research is expected to use mice to see if the same effects occur in mammals.

而將兩者結合可以講人類壽命提升130%，但是兩者若實際結合，其效力將不可預估。研究同樣解釋了判斷長壽祕訣的單一基因的困難性，“這些基因之間的互相作用對於長壽、健康來說都有可能是至關重要的。”卡帕利博士說道。而未來的研究將實驗於小白鼠，以驗證它對哺乳動物的作用。